NAIROBI, Oct 6 Reuters Kenya39;s President William Ruto will ask China for a 1 billion loan to complete stalled road construction projects when he travels to Beijing later this month, his deputy said on Friday.

Ruto39;s plan, which also includes a request to lengthen the maturity periods of existing loans, marks a shift in his stance on Chinese debt after his coalition criticised his predecessor39;s borrowing spree from China during last year39;s election campaign.

The Chinese loans, which stand at more than 8 billion, were used by former President Uhuru Kenyatta39;s government to construct infrastructure like roads, but many of these projects have since stalled after contractors left over unpaid bills.

Ruto will tell Chinese officials that Can we talk to see if you can add us time, so we can pay slowly, and add us a little money so we can finish road construction? Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said on the local Inooro FM radio station.

If we get 1 billion we can be able to give these people contractors the money they are owed so they can return so even as we pay the debt, the roads are completed, he said.

Africa was a focus of President Xi Jinping39;s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013 to recreate the ancient Silk Road and extend China39;s geopolitical and economic influence through a global infrastructure development push.

But the surge in Chinese loans to countries like Kenya, before a slowdown in Chinese lending from 2019, has angered…