Kenyans view China’s influence more positively than that of the United States, a new survey shows, reflecting the shifting balance of global economic power as Beijing expands its trade, infrastructure financing and investment footprint across Africa.
The survey, conducted by the pan-African research group, Afrobarometer, found China enjoys the strongest ratings among external powers at 64 percent, followed by the US at 60 percent.
India was ranked third at 48 percent, ahead of the European Union, which also received favourable assessments from 47 percent of the respondents.
Kenyans view China’s influence more positively than that of the United States, a new survey shows, reflecting the shifting balance of global economic power as Beijing expands its trade, infrastructure financing and investment footprint across Africa.
The survey, conducted by the pan-African research group, Afrobarometer, found China enjoys the strongest ratings among external powers at 64 percent, followed by the US at 60 percent.
India was ranked third at 48 percent, ahead of the European Union, which also received favourable assessments from 47 percent of the respondents.
The European Union also remains one of Kenya’s largest export markets and an important development and trade partner.
The survey suggests Africans do not see these relationships as mutually exclusive.
‘The clearest finding may be that Africans do not see these relationships as a zero-sum contest. Attitudes towards the major powers are positively, not negatively, correlated. For example, citizens who view China favourably are also more likely to view the United States favourably,’ Afrobarometer says in the report.
‘This pattern is consistent with the diplomatic positioning of many African governments and reflects a strategic calculation – in a more competitive multipolar world, non-alignment can be leveraged.’
The 2026 African insights report, the third in Afrobarometer’s annual flagship series, draws on nationally representative surveys across 38 countries surveyed in 2024/2025 to examine citizen attitudes on some core issues, including trade and migration.
The findings support the view that many African countries prefer to engage multiple partners rather than align exclusively with one global power. That approach mirrors Kenya’s foreign policy.
Nairobi continues to cultivate ties with China, the United States, the EU, India and other partners while avoiding dependence on any one country.
The strategy allows Kenya to pursue investment, trade and development opportunities across competing geopolitical blocs.
Russia, however, continues to lag behind the other powers in public perception despite increasing diplomatic and commercial engagement with Africa.
Moscow has sought deeper cooperation with Kenya through fertiliser supplies, energy, mining, education and trade. Yet those efforts have not translated into comparable public goodwill.
‘Russia is struggling to make gains despite its growing continental footprint. Awareness of Russia has increased, but newly formed opinions are more negative than positive,’ Afrobarometer says.
The report adds that former colonial powers have experienced the sharpest long-term decline in popularity.
The survey also found strong support for non-alignment.
Among respondents who were aware of the Russia-Ukraine war, 72 percent preferred their country to remain neutral.
This reflects a broader preference among African citizens to maintain strategic flexibility in an increasingly multipolar world, according to the report.