Kenya's Trading Blocs

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of 8 partner states. The EAC Customs Union was established in 2005, followed by the Common Market Protocol in 2010. Kenya is the largest economy in the bloc, benefiting from free movement of goods, services, labour and capital across the region.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is the world's largest free trade area by number of participating countries, covering 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion. Trading under the AfCFTA commenced in January 2021. Kenya was among the first countries to ratify the agreement and is a key beneficiary for manufactured goods, tea, coffee, horticulture and services exports.

COMESA is a regional economic community with 21 member states stretching from Libya to Eswatini. Kenya has been a member since 1994. The COMESA Free Trade Area eliminates tariffs on goods originating from member states. Kenya's key exports under COMESA include chemicals, machinery, textiles and agricultural products.

Kenya has been a WTO member since its founding in 1995. As a signatory to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), Agreement on Agriculture, General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, and Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), Kenya benefits from MFN treatment, dispute settlement mechanisms, and special & differential treatment provisions for developing countries.