Trade deal with UK should be good for Kenya, East Africa

Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Betty Maina with UK's International Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena during the signing of the new Kenya-UK trade deal in London, United Kingdom.

In exactly a week, Kenya’s deadline to ratify an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the United Kingdom will lapse. The March 8 deadline was activated when Kenya and UK signed the EPA on December 8, 2020 with a 90-day grace period during which lawmakers in both countries should have ratified it. 

Last week, however, Kenya’s Parliament declined to ratify the deal during a special sitting with the government hard-pressed to answer significant questions. There is concern that Kenya could be rushing into a trade pact with a bigger and more powerful economic player without an even playing field.