US Lobby Group Faults Biden Administration over Delay to Seal Kenya Trade Pact

The United States Chamber of Commerce has faulted President Biden administration over its continued delay in concluding a trade agreement with Kenya.

Kenya and the US are yet to sign a deal more than two years after the two countries initiated negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) under Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump.

US Chamber of Commerce president Suzanne Clark accused Biden administration of dilly-dallying in signing the pact, terming the Kenya deal as a low-hanging fruit that ought to have been concluded by now.

“While other economies race to ink new deals, the US has not entered an agreement with a trade partner in a decade,” Clark said in an update as quoted by Business Daily.

“And the current administration consumed by caution and internal reviews is doing little to change that. In fact, it is yet to pick even the lowest hanging fruit such as trade agreements that were already underway with the UK and Kenya, some of our closest allies.”

American officials have remained non-committal on the future of the trade deal even after meeting with Kenyan officials in Nairobi early this month. The delegation was led by Assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) for African Affairs Constance Hamilton.

Kenya expected to reach a deal with the US before the end of this year but a change in administration has seen the talks die down. The Biden administration has been conducting a forensic review of all agreements reached by his predecessor President Donald Trump including Kenya’s proposed FTA. 

The two nations commenced talks in July 2020, with a view of drafting a comprehensive agreement that would act as a model for similar pacts between the US and other African countries.

Kenya was keen on signing the agreement ahead of the expiry of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) in 2025. AGOA gives Kenya and 40 other sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market for over 6,000 products.