Kenya says it supports Chinese tech giant Huawei regardless of US policy
- ‘We will pick what is best for us,’ IT Minister Joseph Mucheru says
- Goal is to ‘make sure we get value for money for our citizens’, he says
Kenya has joined South Africa in voicing its support for China’s beleaguered telecoms giant Huawei, saying it will not be influenced by decisions made about the company in Washington.
Speaking to the press in Nairobi last week, Joseph Mucheru, Kenya’s information and communications technology minister, said the East African nation would make its own decisions on the issue.
“Our policies are not driven by US policies as far as technology is concerned,” he said. “We pick what is best for us.”
“We are not going to be tied to what other people say, but we are going to make sure we get value for money for our citizens,” he said.
The minister’s comments came after the US in May added Huawei to its “entity list”, which requires American companies to get approval from the US government before purchasing equipment from or selling components to the Chinese firm.