Trade between Kenya and the United Kingdom has reached an unprecedented KSh 340 billion (£2 billion) for the first time, underscoring a period of robust commercial growth and strengthened bilateral ties.
Data released by the UK’s Department for Business and Trade on October 31, 2025, shows that total trade in goods and services between the two countries climbed to KSh 340 billion (£2.1 billion) in the year leading up to September 2025, an 11.9% rise compared to the same period in 2024.
Kenyan exports to the UK grew by 14%, while imports from Britain increased by 8%. During this period, Kenya exported goods worth KSh 63 billion (£371 million) and services valued at KSh 71.5 billion (£421 million). Agricultural exports led the charge, with animal and vegetable products jumping 15.6% to KSh 28.7 billion (£169.2 million), and beverages such as coffee and tea rising 12.8% to KSh 24.3 billion (£143.3 million).
Meanwhile, UK exports to Kenya, including machinery, refined oil, and vehicles, totalled KSh 134.6 billion (£792 million), up from KSh 124 billion (£733 million) the previous year. Mechanical power generators saw the steepest growth at 18.3%, followed by refined oil at 12% and vehicles at 10%.
British Chargé d’Affaires Ed Barnett praised the achievement, calling it “proof that the UK and Kenya are turbocharging trade.” He highlighted that the renewed UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership, reaffirmed in July 2025, seeks to double bilateral trade by 2030 through investment and trade barrier reforms.
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Kenya’s Trade Principal Secretary Regina Ombam described the figures as evidence of a resilient and increasingly diverse economic partnership. “We are expanding our export base, focusing on value addition and branding to enhance Kenya’s global market footprint,” she said.
The UK remains one of Kenya’s leading foreign investors, with over 150 British firms operating locally and directly employing more than 250,000 people.
Elsewhere, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi defended the value of the Kenyan shilling amid IMF scrutiny, insisting it remains undervalued. He suggested the currency could strengthen to around KSh 118 to the US dollar if allowed to trade freely, buoyed by rising export earnings and steady diaspora remittances.
The shilling has maintained stability throughout 2025, trading between KSh 129.22 and KSh 129.24 per US dollar, despite minor fluctuations against the euro and the pound.
