President William Ruto (right) when he held talks with the leader of Rapid Support Forces Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo at State House, Nairobi on January 3, 2023.
Seventeen days after Sudan’s government imposed a ban on the importation of Kenyan products, including tea, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced that Sudan has reversed its decision.
In an interview with local media on Monday night, Ruto explained that market forces had compelled Sudan to lift the ban on Kenyan tea, just a month after it was initially imposed.
“There’s no issue with exporting Kenyan tea to Sudan, and this comes as a relief to many of our farmers,” Ruto stated. “Even after they said they wouldn’t buy our tea, the market itself has forced them to resume imports.”
Ruto made these remarks during the interview at Sagana State Lodge
.
At the time of the ban, there were concerns that Sudan’s move could lead to price hikes for certain goods, given the country’s already high inflation due to the ongoing war.
“We are still selling tea to Sudan, and there’s absolutely no issue with that. That’s why we’re seeing profits in the tea sector,” Ruto added.
On March 14, Sudan suspended all imports from Kenya in protest after Sudan’s paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in a civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023, established a parallel government in Nairobi.
Sudan’s military government had justified the import ban as a way to preserve the country’s sovereignty and protect its national security.
Kenya exports a range of products to Sudan, including tea, food items, and pharmaceuticals.
Sudan’s Ministry of Trade issued a decree suspending all imports from Kenya, effective immediately, across all ports, crossings, and airports.
Prior to the current conflict, Sudan imported approximately $37 million (about Ksh 5 billion) worth of Kenyan tea, a figure that dropped to $18 million (around Ksh 2.3 billion) in 2024.