US Embassy Clarifies Uganda Not Affected by New Trump Tariffs

What the report says

Nile Post reports that the United States Embassy in Kampala has clarified that Uganda is not covered by a new US tariff action announced under the Trump administration. The embassy responded to earlier reports suggesting Ugandan exports would face a 30% duty, saying the final directive from the Office of the United States Trade Representative does not include Uganda among the affected economies.

According to the report, the trade action followed USTR investigations into 60 economies over concerns about whether they prohibit and enforce bans on imports made with forced labour. Nile Post says the investigations began on March 12, 2026, and included public hearings, consultations with more than 45 governments and a review of over 3,700 submissions before a final determination was made.

The article says the measures vary by category: some economies face a 10% tariff, others 12.5%, while selected products from the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan face rates in that range after accounting for existing Most-Favoured Nation duties. The USTR also listed exemptions intended to avoid supply disruptions, including certain raw materials and goods not available in sufficient quantities in the United States.

For Uganda, the embassy’s clarification matters because it eases concern among exporters selling to the US market. Nile Post notes that Ugandan exports to the United States include coffee, vanilla, cocoa, tea, fish products, textiles and apparel, some of which benefit from existing preferential trade arrangements. The report also places the tariff move within broader legal and political debate in the United States over the Trump administration’s use of trade powers.