Kenya and the United States will resume negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement next week, Kenyan officials said Wednesday, as Nairobi seeks to safeguard access to one of its most important export markets.
Kenya’s trade minister Lee Kinyanjui said the talks would take place in Washington from Monday to Thursday, with additional meetings expected shortly afterwards to finalise outstanding issues.
“The engagements will allow both sides to firm up deliberations and advance progress towards a mutually beneficial trade framework,” Kinyanjui said in remarks shared by his office.
The resumption of talks marks a revival of a process that began in 2020, when Kenya and Washington launched negotiations aimed at establishing a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement. The discussions stalled in subsequent years amid shifting policy priorities and changes in global trade dynamics.
Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy, exported goods worth about US$737 million to the United States in 2024, accounting for roughly 10 percent of its total exports, according to official figures. Key exports include apparel, tea, coffee and horticultural products, many of which currently enjoy preferential access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
However, AGOA is due to expire in 2025 unless renewed by the US Congress, prompting concerns among African exporters about long-term market access. Kenyan officials say a bilateral agreement could help cushion the country against uncertainty surrounding the future of the programme.
Talks were last held in August, when Kenyan negotiators travelled to Washington to push for assurances on continued access to US markets while broader discussions continued.
The original trade initiative was launched during the first term of former US president Donald Trump, making Kenya the first sub-Saharan African country to enter into negotiations for a standalone trade deal with the United States.
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Analysts say Kenya is keen to deepen economic ties with Washington as it seeks to diversify export markets and attract foreign investment, while the United States views Kenya as a strategic partner in a region where competition for influence has intensified.
The upcoming round of talks is expected to cover issues including market access, customs procedures, labour standards and digital trade. While officials on both sides have expressed optimism, they caution that significant technical work remains before any final agreement can be reached.
Trade ties between Kenya and the United States have traditionally been anchored in preferential access rather than a full bilateral trade agreement. For more than two decades, Kenyan exports have benefited from duty-free entry into the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a cornerstone of Washington’s economic engagement with sub-Saharan Africa.
Kenya is among the leading African beneficiaries of AGOA, exporting apparel, tea, coffee, cut flowers and fresh vegetables to the United States. The textile and garment sector in particular has grown rapidly on the back of the programme, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, mainly in export processing zones around Nairobi and Mombasa.
In 2020, Kenya and Washington launched negotiations aimed at establishing a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, making Kenya the first sub-Saharan African country to pursue such a deal with the United States. The initiative was seen as a possible model for future US–Africa trade arrangements beyond AGOA, whose unilateral preferences are subject to periodic renewal by the US Congress.
Progress slowed after the initial rounds of talks, amid the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and shifts in US trade policy under successive administrations. Negotiations formally paused, but technical engagement continued, with both sides emphasising the importance of maintaining market access and protecting existing trade flows.
Uncertainty over the future of AGOA which is set to expire in 2025 unless renewed has renewed urgency around the talks. Kenyan officials argue that a bilateral deal could provide greater predictability for exporters and investors, reducing reliance on temporary preference schemes.
The United States is one of Kenya’s top export destinations, while Kenya is viewed by Washington as a strategic economic and political partner in East Africa. As competition for influence in the region intensifies, deeper trade ties are seen as part of broader efforts to strengthen long-term cooperation between the two countries.
