President William Ruto/FILE
Ahead of the trip, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi chaired a high-level multi-agency meeting on Friday aimed at aligning Kenya's trade and investment priorities and addressing outstanding issues affecting trade relations with the European bloc.
The meeting focused on resolving a tariff disparity between the Kenya-European Union bilateral trade framework and the East African Community's Common External Tariff on imported alcoholic beverages, an issue that has emerged as a key point of discussion in Kenya-EU trade relations.
"As we prepare for President William Ruto's upcoming visit to Brussels, ensuring alignment on key trade and investment priorities remains essential to advancing our engagement with the European Union," Mudavadi said.
He said Kenya remains committed to honouring its trade obligations under the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) signed with both the European Union and the United Kingdom while pursuing dialogue to address areas of concern.
"Kenya remains committed to upholding both the letter and spirit of the Economic Partnership Agreements signed with the European Union and the United Kingdom," Mudavadi said.
"We are equally committed to constructive dialogue aimed at finding an amicable and mutually beneficial solution that strengthens trade, investment and economic cooperation."
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Kenya and the EU came into force in 2024 and provides duty-free and quota-free access for Kenyan exports to the European market while progressively opening Kenya's market to European goods.
However, differences between the EPA provisions and the East African Community's common external tariff regime have presented implementation challenges in some sectors.
The Brussels visit is expected to focus on trade, investment, climate action, regional security and development cooperation, areas that have become increasingly important in Kenya's engagement with Europe.
The European Union remains one of Kenya's largest export markets, particularly for horticultural products such as flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Belgium occupies a strategic position in Kenya's trade relationship with Europe, serving as a major gateway for Kenyan exports entering the EU market through the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, one of Europe's busiest logistics hubs.
The preparatory meeting brought together Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, ASALs and Regional Development Beatrice Askul Moe, as well as senior officials from the National Treasury and the ministries responsible for foreign affairs and trade.
The participation of key economic and legal agencies reflects the significance Nairobi attaches to resolving trade-related concerns ahead of the President's engagements in Brussels.
Ruto's visit comes at a time when Kenya is seeking to attract greater foreign investment, expand export markets and strengthen economic partnerships amid efforts to accelerate economic growth and job creation.
The trip presents an opportunity for Kenya to consolidate gains made under the EPA while positioning itself as a preferred investment destination in East Africa.
It underscores the growing importance of relations between Kenya and the EU.
The meeting with King Philippe is expected to be one of the highlights of the visit and signals the growing diplomatic and economic ties between Nairobi and Brussels.
