Kenya will send a team of trade and investment experts to the United States later this month to discuss the reduction of tariffs and trade barriers, Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui has announced.
Speaking during an interview on Capital FM on Tuesday, Kinyanjui said the delegation will travel to Washington, DC, to engage with their US counterparts at a time when Kenya and other African countries are facing trade uncertainty following the pending expiry of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the imposition of new tariffs.
The CS emphasised that Kenya remains a key bilateral and trading partner of the US, and it is therefore necessary to explore avenues to safeguard the country's trade interests in light of the shifting global landscape.
“We are a critical partner of the US both now and historically. Kenya is favourably placed, and we have already filed an appeal against the tariffs. Our team will travel on August 20 to follow up on the progress,” Kinyanjui stated.
He further noted that the discussions will also centre on renewing favourable trade terms and addressing restrictions imposed during US President Donald Trump’s administration, which affected several African economies and continue to hamper Kenya’s export potential.
Kinyanjui reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring Kenyan goods retain access to the US market and expressed optimism that the upcoming talks would result in a more balanced trade relationship.
The CS added that the government will leverage its strategic cooperation with the US - including Kenya’s leadership in the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti to negotiate for more favourable trade tariffs.
On July 31, Trump signed an executive order imposing additional tariffs that range from 10 to 41 per cent on several countries. The order listed a higher export duty on leading world economies such as Brazil, India, Japan, Israel, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
While Kenya was spared in the latest round of tariffs, African countries that faced the heat include South Africa and Algeria, which were slapped with a 30 per cent tariff on their exports to the US.
According to the executive order, goods from all other unlisted countries, including Kenya, will be subject to a 10 per cent US import tax.
When announcing the decision, the US government revealed that, despite negotiating with some trading partners, the countries in question had not offered terms that sufficiently addressed the trading imbalances.
"The Secretary of Commerce and the US Trade Representative shall recommend additional action, if necessary, should a foreign trading partner fail to take adequate steps to address the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257," read part of the executive order.
