OPINION: Which way for Kenya-US trade relations?
I speak as an investor who has built factories here, not because Kenya offered the cheapest labour or the fastest ports, but because it had something no one else could match: guaranteed duty-free access to the US market. - Kenya breaking news | Kenya news today | Capitalfm.co.ke..
✨ Key Highlights
Kenya's preferential trade access to the US market through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is set to expire on September 30, 2025, threatening a critical economic lifeline. The expiry could devastate Kenya's apparel manufacturing sector, which relies heavily on AGOA's duty-free access.
- AGOA currently supports 66,000 direct jobs in Kenya's apparel industry, indirectly affecting an estimated 660,000 Kenyans.
- Investor Pankaj Bedi warns that without AGOA, Kenyan manufacturers cannot compete globally, risking loss of investment and jobs.
- The article urges Kenya to secure an AGOA extension or pivot to a Kenya-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with a mitigation plan prepared to avoid economic collapse seen in other African nations.
Continue Reading
Read the complete article from Capital News
Part of the Day's Coverage
US Implements Policy Changes Affecting Kenyan Trade and Citizens - August 2025
Kenyan businesses face a significant blow after US President Donald Trump scrapped the 'de minimis' tariff exemption for small packages valued under $800 (Ksh103,600). This decision means these packages will now be subject to tariffs and taxes, impacting small business owners who ship to the US. In a separate development, Kenya's preferential trade access via the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is set to expire on September 30, 2025, a situation that could devastate the country's apparel manufacturing sector. Furthermore, the Trump administration has announced stricter measures against foreigners, including Kenyans, traveling to the United States primarily to give birth, a move that will lead to visa denials for individuals identified with such intentions.
Kenya's news, briefed daily
Daily Briefs with audio, your topics, and breaking stories.
Take Kenya's news with you
Breaking stories, daily briefs, and the topics you follow - on your phone, free.
