Wycliffe Musalia has over six years of experience in financial, business, technology, climate, and health reporting, providing deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends. He currently works as a business editor at .

Kenya seeks to increase its exports to the European market under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed in July 2024.

The European Union (EU)-Kenya Business Forum 2025, held on Monday, May 12 and Tuesday, May 13, affirmed the shift in the country's trade relations, amid global turbulences caused by the US's new tariff regime.

In an exclusive interview with , EU Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger revealed a close collaboration with Kenyan authorities and industry stakeholders in adding value to the country's products to meet the standards of the EU market.

Geiger explained that this is achieved through the EPA, which offers Kenyan goods zero free access to the European market and zero duty.

"The EU-Kenya Business Forum 2025 brings many companies from Europe here and investors and business people from Kenya to try to make the contacts business to business and fill the Economic Partnership Agreement with life, because what we need is to double our trade volumes," said Geiger.

Ambassador Geiger noted that the EPA aims to help Kenya add value to its products and diversify the value chain.

"So the trade is basically raw products from Kenya to Europe and finished products from Europe to Kenya, which is not a good balance. We have been helping Kenya to build its value chains... go into other product categories to achieve upper middle income level and to get more yield," she added.

The EU-Kenya Forum emphasised the need to leverage emergent technology like artificial intelligence (AI) in creating value for Kenya's exports.

"We are urging relevant stakeholders to look into opportunities in the digital space together with AI. Even traditional products can be value added with some creativity, but that's what is needed here, and we are helping Kenya to do this," the ambassador added.

Trade and Investment CS Lee Kinyanjui affirmed that the EPA has brought good progress, especially at a time of global trade challenges.

Kinyanjui noted that the new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump have greatly affected the country's exports

"It pays to have good, stable trading partners such as the EU. We want to diversify our products, from textiles to any other commodity. We want to expand our markets so that, when there is turbulence on one side, we can balance with the other. Send your 20 or 30% to the US and another 30 or 40% to another place and that's the new order," said Kinyanjui.

In March 2025, Trump imposed a 10% export tariff on products from Kenya and other African countries, denying them a zero duty enjoyed under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which will end in November this year.

In April 2025, President William Ruto honoured Chinese President Xi Jinping invite to Beijing, where he described the two countries' relations as ‘co-architects of a new world order.

The move angered America, which has issued a warning to Ruto's administration for swearing allegiance to Beijing amid its trade wars with Washington DC.

On Thursday, May 15, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Senator Jim Risch warned that relying on leaders who embrace China is a threat to Americans.

“Relying on leaders who embrace Beijing so openly is an error. It’s time to reassess our relationship with Kenya and others who forge tight bonds with China.

“They must be part of a broad strategic effort to protect American interests in Africa while also protecting the U.S. taxpayer’s pocketbook,” said Senator Risch.

The warning came amid the push to have the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) agreement, which has stalled for three years.

In January 2024, after Trump's inauguration, Ruto called US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the need to conclude the trade agreement.

STIP talks began in July 2022, during the tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya) and President Joe Biden (US).

Source: TUKO.co.ke