Trade CS Lee Kinyanjui in a meeting with the National Standards Council on July 15, 2025. /MITITrade and Industry CS Lee Kinyanjui has reassured Kenyan exporters of continued access to the European Union market despite a recent court injunction halting the implementation of the Kenya–EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
In a statement on Wednesday, the CS said the government has activated all legal and diplomatic avenues to protect the country’s trade interests and ensure uninterrupted commercial flows.
"We wish to assure all Kenyans, our trading partners as well as trading entities that Kenya will continue to trade with EU and steps are being taken to ensure continuity, predictability and protection of our existing commercial arrangements," he said.
Kinyanjui said the injunction, issued on November 24 in a case filed by the Centre for Law, Economics and Policy (CELP East Africa), had sparked uncertainty for the business community, given the central role EU markets play in Kenya’s export performance.
However, he stressed that Kenya’s export momentum and longstanding partnership with the EU would not be derailed.
"The ministry is in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and has already initiated immediate appropriate steps aimed at setting aside the injunctive orders pending the hearing and determination of the case," he said.
Kinyanjui emphasised that the EPA remains central to Kenya’s export performance, which supports millions of livelihoods across key sectors.
He noted that the agreement aligns with the country’s long-term development goals under Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and broader job-creation frameworks anchored on sustainable growth.
The CS highlighted the depth of commercial ties between Kenya and the EU, pointing out that last year, Kenya exported goods worth $1.56 billion to the EU while importing $2.09 billion.
He said the exports show an upward trajectory that the government is keen to expand further.
Kinyanjui assured exporters and the wider business community that the government would safeguard the stability and predictability of current commercial arrangements.
"The government remains committed to provide certainty to exporters, investors, development and trading partners and assures all stakeholders that it will continue to safeguard the country's trade, investment and industrialisation interests."
Kinyanjui further noted that Kenya is engaging other Partner States in the East African Community (EAC) to affirm the intended interpretation of Article 37 of the EAC Protocol.
He said the clause was designed to foster transparency and not to restrict sovereign trade actions, warning that its over-judicialisation risks shrinking the region’s policy space and portraying the EAC as hostile to investment and development.
He reaffirmed that Kenya will continue to defend its trade and industrialisation interests while engaging regional institutions to streamline procedures that support smoother business operations within the EAC.
The CS added that as a founding member of the bloc, Kenya remains committed to the principle of variable geometry, which enables Partner States to pursue differentiated integration pathways without undermining collective progress.
Kinyanjui also confirmed that Kenya will soon host the EAC Summit, where key issues affecting Partner States will be addressed at the highest level.
