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Nairobi (AFP) – Kenya arrested a Chinese businessman after a video of him making a series of racist remarks was widely circulated on social networks, the government said Thursday.
The Chinese national, identified as Liu Jiaqi, has been arrested and is being deported, Kenya's immigration department said.
"His work permit has been canceled and he will be expelled for reasons of racism," said the immigration service on his Twitter account.
In the two-and-a-half-minute video on Twitter and elsewhere, Liu, who appears to be at the center of an argument with one of his employees, recorded a litany of racist remarks.
"Everyone, every Kenyan … like a monkey, even Uhuru Kenyatta, all," he said.
After the employee suggested that Liu should "return to China", if he feels like this, the businessman reacts with new abuse.
"I'm not a member here, I do not like here, like monkeys, I do not like talking to them, it smells bad, and poor, and silly, and black, I do not like them. do not [like] Whites, like Americans? "
He added that he only stays in Kenya because "money is important".
The video did not say exactly what Liu's job was in Kenya.
Some Kenyans on social networks have asked that Liu be charged rather than simply deported.
This is not the first time that Chinese workers in Kenya have been accused of racism.
Three years ago, a small Chinese restaurant in the capital Nairobi was closed down by the authorities and the owner was accused of applying a "no blacks" policy after 17 hours.
Earlier this year, Kenyan workers working on a new Chinese-built railroad alleged racism and discrimination on the part of Chinese staff and leaders.
However, the government rejected allegations of racism on the $ 3.2 billion signature infrastructure project (2.8 billion euros).
Kenyatta was this week in Beijing to attend a conference at which China pledged to invest an additional $ 60 billion in Africa.
The arrest came one day after Kenyan police raided the African headquarters of China's global television network in Nairobi, briefly detaining several journalists as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
The Chinese Embassy said in a statement that it would express its concerns through diplomatic channels, after several incidents in which nationals with legal documents were taken to police stations for verification.
