NEW YORK — President William Ruto has urged the United States to fast-track a trade agreement with Kenya as the clock ticks down on the expiring African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), warning that thousands of jobs and key export markets hang in the balance.
Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ruto said negotiations for a bilateral trade pact were making “good progress” and could be concluded before the end of 2025.
“At the bilateral level, we agreed to strengthen relations by expanding trade, concluding a trade agreement by the end of the year, boosting U.S. investment in Kenya, and deepening security cooperation, particularly in counter-terrorism,” Ruto told Reuters.
Kenya is among more than 30 African countries that currently enjoy duty-free access to the U.S. market under AGOA, which is set to expire in September 2025.
Nairobi has been lobbying for a 16-year extension of the programme, but the push faces headwinds in a deeply divided U.S. Congress and an uncertain trade policy landscape following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Kenya Eyes Broader Market Access
Beyond traditional exports like textiles, tea, coffee, and avocados, Nairobi is also seeking to expand its footprint into the U.S. market for minerals and fisheries.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui, who has been leading the Kenyan negotiating team, said the two sides have held several rounds of talks aimed at unlocking new investment and market opportunities.
Two previous attempts to clinch a trade pact — under former President Uhuru Kenyatta and during Joe Biden’s first term — collapsed before reaching the signing stage.
Ruto is betting that this third round will succeed, providing Kenya with a critical buffer if AGOA lapses without renewal.
U.S. Pullback on Haiti Mission
However, Ruto’s diplomatic push in New York was not without setbacks. Washington appeared to quietly distance itself from one of his flagship foreign policy projects — the Kenyan-led multinational security mission in Haiti.
Once a strong supporter of the deployment, the U.S. has now shifted the file to the United Nations.
In his UNGA address, President Trump made no mention of Haiti, underscoring Washington’s waning interest in the mission.
The deployment, already struggling with limited funding and inadequate equipment, is set to expire soon.
Efforts to transform it into a fully-fledged UN peacekeeping operation have stalled, blocked by Russia and China at the Security Council.
