The United States has exposed key barriers that continue to hinder trade with Kenya, citing corruption, restrictive import rules, and opaque government procurement practices.
In its latest 2026 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, Washington warns that these challenges limit market access for foreign businesses and raise concerns over transparency and fairness in Kenya’s trading environment.
The US government revealed that corruption remains a substantial barrier to doing business in Kenya.
US Lists Corruption as Key Barrier to Trade in Kenya
According to the report, US firms continue to report challenges competing against foreign firms that are willing to ignore legal standards or engage in bribery and other forms of corruption.
“Corruption is widely reported to affect government procurements at the national and county levels. Kenya has not effectively implemented its anticorruption laws,” read part of the report.
“US firms continue to report direct and indirect requests for bribes from multiple levels of the Kenyan Government.”
Kenya ranks 130 out of 180 countries globally in terms of corruption, according to the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released by Transparency International on February 10, 2026.
Also Read: Govt Releases Official Charges for Food Imports, Exports (FULL LIST)
The report also noted that many U.S. companies have commented that Kenya’s Integrated Customs Management System does not operate as intended and that the pre-arrival processing of electronic documents is ineffective.
U.S. companies have also raised concerns about the inconsistent application of classification and valuation decisions, as well as unnecessary transit inspections.
Express carriers have raised concerns about the time required for Kenyan Customs to release express shipments due to a complex, inefficient process involving many steps and uncoordinated offices.
The US also raised concerns over Kenya’s Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) program, which requires most imports to undergo inspection in their country of origin and obtain a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) before shipment.
U.S. officials say the program’s testing, certification, and labeling rules deviate from international standards, add extra costs, and limit market access—especially since only one inspection company, SGS, is authorized to operate in the United States.
Washington further criticized Kenya’s sanitary and phytosanitary regulations as barriers to trade. While Kenya lifted a 10-year ban on genetically engineered (GE) food and feed in 2022, the move is stalled due to ongoing legal challenges.
The US also criticized Kenya’s restrictive veterinary standards for bovine embryos and semen, which go beyond prior agreements and effectively block most U.S. dairy cattle products, leaving the largest share of the market to domestic producers who do not meet the same criteria.
Import Permits
Kenya’s import permit requirements have been flagged as a significant barrier to trade. Kenya’s rules for meat, dairy, and poultry imports are complex, costly, and nontransparent, requiring a “Letter of No Objection” from the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS).
Importers must provide detailed explanations of why the products are needed, but the DVS often denies permits on non-sanitary grounds, such as local availability, without providing written justification.
Also Read: Why MPs Want Ruto to Extend US Trade Deal for Next 16 Years
For plants and plant products, the US criticized Kenya’s strict limits on aflatoxin in corn and maximum moisture content, which are lower than international standards.
These rules have resulted in most U.S. corn exports being denied entry, and even when exceptions are made during shortages, the additional processing required makes U.S. exports largely uncompetitive.
The United States has raised concerns over Kenya’s role in illegal wildlife trade, highlighting it as a major barrier affecting security, economic stability, and legitimate commerce.
Non- Market Policies and Practices
Kenya is cited as a key source, destination, and transit hub for trafficked wildlife and their derivatives, putting species like elephants, rhinos, ostriches, and giraffes at risk.
Despite strong wildlife protection laws, the US notes persistent challenges, including corruption, under-resourced authorities, and slow prosecution of environmental crimes.
The illegal trade undermines regulated markets for wildlife products used in pets, fashion, and medical research, and risks contaminating global supply chains, potentially reaching US consumers.
The report further revealed that Kenya does not impose sufficient measures against non-market policies and practices (NMPPs) in order to insulate the US and Kenyan markets from distortions and ensure a fair and secure trading relationship.
Kenya has not entered into an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade that includes commitments to address distortions caused by such NMPPs.
The country does not participate in the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity, which is dedicated to developing and implementing collective solutions to address global excess capacity and enhance market function in the steel sector.
