CLAIM: Kenya Ends Trade Deal With China Following Pressure From The US

An X user @cecild84 claims that Kenya has lost its sovereignty, as the United States instructed the Kenyan government to end the trade deal with China. The post has an image of Kenyan President, William Ruto, with the caption, “Kenya has totally lost its sovereignty, as US instructs them to end Trade deal with China. Can you imagine the AES being instructed to do that. Such is the difference between revolutionary sovereignty and puppetry servitude.”

The claim had reached over 91,00 people and generated about 4,580 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and bookmarks, at the time this report was published. In the comment @NakNemuk said “China never pay full price always hunting for the cheapest deal possible.” and @bunmi_speak wrote “Some of these so-called Afrikan leaders are just unbelievable.”

VERIFICATION

Kenya is navigating complex relationships with both China and the United States. It has been deepening economic cooperation with China, signing major agreements across trade, infrastructure, health, and technology that reflect mutual interests rather than loss of autonomy.

Recently, it was reported that a proposed Kenya–China trade agreement was allegedly put on hold after Washington raised concerns that signing it could jeopardise Kenya’s access to key U.S. economic programs. The deal would have lowered tariffs on Kenyan exports like tea, coffee, avocados, and fish to China. A news source stated that the approval process has stalled in Kenya’s Cabinet and parliament amid U.S. objections.

However, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei described reports of Kenya shelving the China trade deal as “completely unfounded.” He said negotiations on an interim framework for market access had concluded and that Kenya is pursuing both China cooperation and efforts to renew preferential access to U.S. markets simultaneously.

According to Reuters, Kenya has secured zero-duty access for almost all its exports to China in a preliminary deal. Its trade minister, Lee Kinyanjui said on January 15, 2025, that Nairobi seeks to offset the impact of higher US tariffs. The Kenya-China deal aims to diversify the East African nation’s markets and “reduce trade imbalances.” The deal will allow for 98.2 percent of Kenyan goods to enter China without import taxes, notably eliminating tariffs on its crucial agricultural exports. 

CONCLUSION

The claim that Kenya has lost its sovereignty and was instructed by the United States to end a trade deal with China is MISLEADING. While the U.S. may have expressed concerns about Kenya’s negotiations with China, those concerns do not amount to instructions or coercion. Also, Kenyan officials have also noted that it is not shelving the China trade agreement.