Kenya maintains sugar import controls post-COMESA exit – FAS

KENYA – Kenya continues to regulate sugar import volumes from COMESA member states despite exiting its 24-year protectionist regime, according to a report by the US Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) dated April 6, 2026. The agency said Nairobi still manages imports through a licensing system, even after ending long-standing sugar safeguards in November 2025 and shifting to a duty-free regime for COMESA and East African Community (EAC) partners. “Sugar from non-Comesa countries still face a 100 percent tariff, unless the government requests a waiver under the EAC customs protocol due to local shortages,” FAS said. Retail sugar prices are expected to decline in the early months of the 2026/2027 marketing year, which begins in May, supported by a rebound in domestic production and improved sugarcane availability. “This downward trend is expected to level off as duty-free imports from Comesa bridge any remaining supply gap,” the agency said. Prices have already shown a downward ...