President William Ruto has announced the lifting of a ban placed on Kenyan tea last year by Sudan, ending a 20 month embargo.
The decision follows a meeting between President Ruto and Sudan Prime Minister Professor Kamil Idris the sidelines of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Heads of State and Government Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe.
“Kenya welcomes and appreciates this decision, which reopens an important market for our tea, restores opportunities for our exporters and supports the livelihoods of our farmers and their families,” said Ruto via his official X account.
Through a Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, Sudan lifted the ban which it placed on the produce in March last year triggered by a diplomatic rift between the two nations
“This progress demonstrates what dialogue and constructive diplomacy can achieve. We look forward to strengthening our bilateral relations, expanding trade and working together for peace, stability and shared prosperity in our region,” he added.
According to the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK), the 20-month long ban impacted tea exports to the Northern Africa state, which was among Kenya’s top exports globally.
The board says during the restriction period, export volumes declined from 20 million kilos to 8.7 million kilos while which saw earnings decline from Ksh 4.5 billion to Ksh 1.93 billion.
