The relationship between China and Africa has brought great benefits for African countries including Kenya.

One product of the relationship between the two nations--the Thika Highway--is of such a great help to travelers and locals who need to go places faster, reports Xinhua.

Thika Highway, a 50 kilometer-long stretch of travel road, is Kenya's first ever superhighway. It is also one of the most modern piece of road infrastructure that the African nation has, connecting the capital Nairobi to the fertile central highlands.

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People who need to travel long distances to get home have benefited from the superhighway since it was opened for use.

One such person who enjoys its benefits is James Muriuki, who happens to travel a long distance of 250 km from his workplace in Nairobi to his home village.

"It now takes three hours by road to arrive at my home village compared to the five hours previously," he said.

Kenya has already invested billions of U.S. dollars into improving its roads, which are reportedly riddled with potholes – the kind that gives travelers and car drivers frequent problems on the road. Most of the road improvements are being done by Chinese firms.

Currently, three bypasses are being constructed in Nairobi. These bypasses are aimed to further ease travel conditions in the country, which foresees an exponential growth in the number of vehicles being driven around it.

One such bypass, the Southern Bypass, is a 28.6km road that is being constructed by the China Road and Bridges Corporation. It's construction is also majorly financed by the China Exim Bank.

Despite the fact that China has been investing billions in Africa, and in Kenya specifically, a poll has revealed that some Kenyans still perceive China as a “threat” to their country's economic and political development, reports The Standard.

Although two-thirds of Kenyans do not view non-Kenyan countries as possible threats, some do, with a majority of the concerned seeing China as the biggest threat.

Additionally, most Kenyans prefer to do business with the U.S. than with China, although they also expressed some level of concern regarding the country's trade relations with the United States.

TagsKenya, Africa, Thika Highway, China Exim Bank