Kenya intends to seek a waiver on the 10% tariff that will be subjected to the country’s exports to the United States of America. 

On Wednesday, Donald Trump’s administration announced an imposition of a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all U.S. imports from 185 countries and higher duties on some of America's top trading partners.

Kenya is among the countries that are exempted from tariffs when exporting to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires in September 2025.

In response to the changes announced by the US, Kenya’s Foreign Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei expressed optimism that the tariff will not take effect until the AGOA trade agreement expires. 

According to Sing’oei, Kenya will seek a waiver from the US. 

“While the tariffs may be one of the lowest, we shall be vigorously advocating for their waiver. Additionally, as AGOA is a Congressional framework for market access to the US by African exporters, it is our considered view that until the law lapses end of September 2025 or unless repealed earlier by Congress, the new tariffs imposed by President Trump will in any event still not be immediately applicable,” said Sing’oei in a social media post. 

Several African states trading with the U.S. were slapped with the 10% base tariff.

Other African states including Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda were also slapped with the 10% base tariff. 

Trump imposed higher tariffs on Nigeria (14%), Malawi (17%), Zimbabwe (18%), DRC (11%), Zambia (17%), and Mozambique (16%).

Other African countries include Mauritius (40%), Botswana (37%), Algeria (30%) and Tunisia (28%). 

Some of the US imports from Kenya include clothing, macadamia nuts, coffee, titanium ores, and black tea. 

According to the United Nations COMTRADE data, Kenya Exports to United States was $458.58 million in 2023.