Kenya: Trade CS Kinyanjui Says Agoa Extension Eases Trade Uncertainty

What the report says

Kenya’s Investment, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui has welcomed a proposed extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to December 2028, saying it would give local manufacturers more certainty to plan production and investment. The remarks were reported by Capital FM and distributed by AllAfrica from Nairobi on 13 August 2026.

According to the report, the longer timeline would help Kenyan exporters keep US orders and make business decisions after years of uncertainty about the future of the preferential trade arrangement. Kinyanjui said the extension would be especially important for apparel producers and for maintaining the third-country fabric provision, which allows manufacturers to use inputs from outside AGOA countries while still qualifying for duty-free access to the US market.

The article says the US Senate has approved the extension, though it still must complete the remaining legislative process before it takes effect. The report adds that AGOA is central to Kenya’s export ties with the US, particularly in apparel, which accounts for a large share of exports under the programme and supports tens of thousands of jobs. It also supports other Kenyan exports such as cut flowers, tea, coffee and macadamia nuts.

More broadly, the extension is presented as a way to reduce the risk of tariff disruption and give factories in export zones a clearer horizon for decisions on machinery, staffing and supply contracts. The government is urging firms to use the added stability to expand capacity and diversify exports.