By LUKE ANAMI
Kenya has established an Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) Council to advance trade relations with the UK, with a focus on expanding cooperation beyond goods to include services, competition policy, and intellectual property rights.
The council, comprising officials from multiple ministries, will oversee implementation of the EPA and explore new areas of collaboration. Principal Secretary for Industrialisation, Trade and Enterprise Development Johnson Weru emphasized the goal of enabling Kenyan professionals like doctors, lawyers, and engineers to offer services under the agreement.
British High Commissioner Jane Marriott highlighted existing financial services partnerships, noting UK-based Prudential's Nairobi headquarters as an anchor client for the Nairobi International Financial Centre. She also mentioned potential expansion of the EPA to the East African Community once regional negotiations conclude.
UK investments have accelerated Mombasa port operations, reducing cargo turnaround times from 12 to three days through a Ksh5 billion ($44 million) infrastructure project. Marriott noted that 2021 data showed Kenya exporting Ksh45.2 billion ($397.7 million) to the UK compared to Ksh30.2 billion in imports, creating a Ksh15 billion trade surplus.
Trade in goods and services totaled over £1.65 billion ($2.2 billion) in 2020, with Kenya's main exports to the UK including flowers, coffee, tea, and textiles. The UK remained Kenya's largest single investor, with £3 billion in 2020, and a top five export destination between 2015 and 2020.
