The Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi has dismissed claims by President William Ruto that the country has resumed imports of Kenyan tea, stating that the ban imposed in March remains fully in force. President William Ruto (right) and Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council leader, General Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan (left), at State House, Nairobi, on 13th November 2023.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the Sudanese diplomatic mission clarified that no Kenyan products, including tea, have entered Sudan since the Ministry of Trade and Supply issued a decree halting imports from Kenya on 11 March 2025.
This statement directly contradicts remarks made by President Ruto on Monday night, where he suggested that market forces had compelled Sudan to lift the restrictions, allowing tea exports to resume.
“Even after Sudan initially announced it would stop buying our tea, the market itself has compelled them to resume imports,” Ruto said during an interview at Sagana State Lodge . President William Ruto: We are still selling tea to Sudan even after they said they are not buying our tea. The market itself has forced them. So, there is no issue about the selling of tea, and that is why we are making money in the tea sector. pic.twitter.com/uAWmdiTYez — K24 TV (@K24Tv) March 31, 2025 However, the Sudanese Embassy dismissed this assertion as inaccurate.
"Sudan remains firmly committed to upholding this trade policy as part of its sovereign economic and diplomatic considerations," the embassy stated.
"Any claims suggesting otherwise are unfounded and inaccurate." A press release issued by the Embassy of Sudan in Nairobi, reaffirming that Sudan's trade ban on Kenyan imports, including tea, remains in effect.
The Sudanese government had announced the trade suspension in response to Kenya’s engagement with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the army-led government in Khartoum. The RSF held a high-profile conference in Nairobi in March, escalating tensions between the two nations.
With the latest denial from Sudanese authorities, the status of Kenyan tea exports to Sudan remains unclear, leaving traders and farmers uncertain about the future of the key export market.