US pours billions in Kenya to rival China dominance

Kenya Airways flight purser Stella Keru, demonstrates how a Dreamliner boeing 787 seat automation system works to US Under Secretary for Commerce Gilbert Kaplan and CS Tourism Najib Balala. The airline plans to start direct flights to New York in October. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

The United States faces an uphill task in a fresh bid to reclaim its position as Kenya’s dominant trading partner on the back of growing volatility in the international market.

This comes even as China, currently the leading protagonist in a simmering trade war kicked off by US President Donald Trump, firms its grip on much of Kenya’s revenue basket through more than Sh500 billion in State-guaranteed credit.