Kenya and Uganda signed eight new bilateral MoUs on Wednesday, building on 17 existing agreements to bolster cooperation across key sectors. The signing ceremony in Nairobi was witnessed by visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto.

• The agreements aim to strengthen legal and institutional cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, trade, energy, and security.
• Specific agreements include a partnership between the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics for scientific and technical exchange.
• Both leaders affirmed their commitment to regional integration under the East African Community (EAC) framework, addressing persistent non-tariff barriers and promoting peace and stability.

The Kenyan government has expressed strong disapproval of new trade restrictions and tax measures implemented by Tanzania. These changes, part of Tanzania’s Finance Act 2025 and the Excise (Management and Tariff) Act 2019, are seen by Kenya as harmful to inter-regional trade and the overarching East African Community (EAC) integration agenda.

• Kenyan Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui stated that the new measures, including an Industrial Development Levy and additional excise duties of between 10% and 15% on imported goods, make Kenyan products up to 65% more expensive in Tanzania.
• A new Business Licensing (Prohibition of Business Activities for Non-Citizens) Order, 2025, bans foreigners, including EAC citizens, from engaging in 15 business categories.
• Kenya has initiated bilateral engagements and is working through EAC mechanisms, including a directive from the Extraordinary Sectoral Council on Finance and Economic Affairs to the EAC Secretariat to audit all contravening taxes.