U.S. slaps Kenya with 10% export tariff

The United States on Wednesday imposed a 10 percent reciprocal tariff on Kenya as part of President Donald Trump’s latest round of trade tariffs on all imports to America.

Trump said he would impose a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all U.S. imports from 185 countries and higher duties on some of America's top trading partners.

Kenya charges the U.S. a 10 per cent tariff, including currency manipulation and trade barriers, per the White House. The reciprocal impositions are set to affect Kenya’s total goods trade with America, which stood at $1.5 billion in 2024.

Kenya exported goods worth $737.3 million (Ksh.95.3 billion) to the U.S. in 2024, down 17.5 percent ($156.7 million) from 2023, according to data from the United States Trade Representative’s office. Much of this was apparel, coffee and tea.

At the same time, Kenya imported goods worth $782.5 million (Ksh.101 billion) from the U.S., up 61.4 percent ($297.8 million) from 2023.

Since May 2000, Kenya has been exempt from tariffs when exporting to the world's largest economy under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires this September.

Several African states trading with the U.S. were slapped with the 10 per cent base tariff, such as Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda.

Trump imposed higher tariffs on others like Nigeria (14%), Malawi (17%), Zimbabwe (18%), DRC (11%), Zambia (17%), and Mozambique (16%).

But others, like Lesotho, will suffer the most from the U.S.’s new tariffs. The southern African country, which the White House said charges America a 99 per cent tariff, was hit with a 50 per cent reciprocal tariff.

Others are Mauritius – 40% (charges U.S. 80%); Botswana – 37% (charges U.S. 74%); Algeria – 30% (charges U.S. 59%); and Tunisia – 28%. It charges America 55%.

The Trump administration said the tariffs would take effect on April 9.