Imports from EAC countries to Kenya

Kenya's trade relationships within the East African Community (EAC) have shown dynamic shifts between 2020 and 2024, with Tanzania and Uganda emerging as the dominant sources of imports.

The value of goods entering Kenya from Tanzania has seen a particularly dramatic rise, more than doubling from Sh27.8 billion in 2020 to a high of Sh58.7 billion in 2024. This upward surge positions Tanzania as the leading source of EAC imports for Kenya in the most recent fiscal period, surpassing other regional partners.

Uganda also remains a critical trade partner, though its numbers have shown some fluctuation. Starting at Sh25.9 billion in 2020, imports from Uganda grew steadily to peak at Sh41.1 billion in 2023 before settling at 37.6 billion in 2024.

Meanwhile, imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have maintained a more modest but relatively stable range. Rwanda’s exports to Kenya grew from 2 billion to 3.3 billion Shillings over the five years, while the DRC saw an increase from 2.7 billion to 3.4 billion.

In contrast, trade volumes from other partners have experienced high volatility. Somalia saw a massive spike in 2024, recording 566 million Shillings in exports to Kenya, a significant jump from just 53 million in 2020.

Conversely, imports from Burundi have plummeted sharply, dropping from 355 million in 2020 to a mere 9.3 million in 2024. South Sudan has maintained lower volumes throughout the period, fluctuating between 13 million and 69 million Shillings.