Kenya deports businessman after racist ‘monkey’ rant

KENYA has deported a Chinese businessman after a video of him making a string of racist remarks was widely shared on social media, the government said yesterday.

The Chinese national, identified as Liu Jiaqi, was seen in the two and a half minute video in the midst of a dispute with one of his employees issuing racist slurs against all Kenyans, including the president.

“Every one, every Kenyan … like a monkey, even Uhuru Kenyatta. All of them,” he said.

After the employee suggests Mr Liu should “go back to China” if he feels that way, the businessman responds with further abuse.

“I don’t belong to here. I don’t like here, like monkey people, I don’t like talk with them, it smells bad, and poor, and foolish, and black. I don’t like them. Why not [like] the white people, like the American?”

Some Kenyans on social media have called for Mr Liu to be charged rather than simply deported. But Zhang Gang, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Nairobi, said that according to Mr Liu’s employer, the clip was recorded in June “and he has already been punished by his company for his wrongdoing and apologised to his Kenyan colleague”.

“The personal talk and feelings of

‘I do not belong here. I do not like here, like monkey people … It smells bad, and poor and foolish, and black’

this young man does not represent the views of the vast majority of Chinese people,” he said.

This is not the first time Chinese workers in Kenya have been accused of racism.

Three years ago a small Chinese restaurant in the capital Nairobi was shut down by authorities and the owner charged for operating a “no blacks” policy after 5pm.