Kiamba said the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi has achieved a lot since its establishment in 2005, including winning the Confucius Institute of the Year Award seven times and pioneering the establishment of the Bachelor of Arts in the Chinese language in Kenya.

"Last year, with the joint efforts of the various parties and stakeholders we established the first bachelor of education in Chinese in Kenya and we admitted the first batch of students," he said.

Kiama hopes that this year the Confucius Institute will gain more momentum with the blessing of power, courage and vitality from the year of the Chinese dragon.

He said the Confucius Institute offers a good platform for cultural exchange between China and Kenya through events like the Chinese Lunar Year celebrations.

Kiama hoped that the relationship between China and Kenya would further be strengthened by the blessings of the year of the dragon.

In Chinese methodology, the dragon has the power to control seasons, time and harvests, and it's seen as a symbol of wealth. The Chinese consider dragons to be powerful, compassionate, wise, kind and warm.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn