Biden Team to Resume Kenya-US Trade Negotiations After Four-Month Hiatus

Kenya and the US are expected to resume negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) after a four-month hiatus occasioned by the American presidential election last November.

Trade and Enterprise Development Principal Secretary Johnson Weru said the talks will resume as soon as President Biden’s Trade Representative nominee Katherine Tai is confirmed.

“As soon as that confirmation is formally announced by Congress, we will be ready as we have always been in getting business done,” Weru told Business Daily.

Biden was sworn-in as the 46th US President on January 20th, taking over from Donald Trump, who served for one term.

Earlier, there were fears that the change of guard at the White House could cause further delays on the proposed trade pact between the two nations.

The trade negotiations between Kenya and the US commenced under the Trump administration in July 2020, with a view of reaching a comprehensive agreement that will act as a model for similar pacts between the US and other African countries.

During his phone conversation with Biden last week, President Kenyatta expressed confidence that the conclusion of the negotiations for the trade deal will cement the strong economic ties between the two countries. Kenya is the fourth largest trading partner of the US in the continent.

Kenya is keen on signing the agreement ahead of the expiry of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) in 2025. AGOA gives Kenya and 40 other sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market for over 6,000 products.