Kenya has maintained its pole position as East Africa’s trade and economic hub as regional trade expanded in the second quarter of 2026, according the East Africa Community Quarterly Statistics Bulletin.
This, as the country seeks to further deepen its market share in the bloc and diversify exports through the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The East African Community recorded total trade of $52.3 billion (Sh6.81 trillion) in the three months to June, up 37 per cent from $38.2 billion (Sh4.97 trillion) in the same quarter of 2025, which includes trading with the rest of the world.
According to the April-June 2026 report, exports rose 41.3 per cent to $26.3 billion (Sh3.42 trillion), while imports increased by 32.9 per cent to $26 billion (Sh3.38 trillion).
This resulted in a regional trade surplus of $0.3 billion (Sh39.1 billion), reversing a deficit of $945.3 million (Sh123.0 billion) recorded a year earlier.
“African markets remained important to the region’s export growth,” EAC notes in its bulletin, “EAC exports to the continent jumped 44.3 per cent to USD7.2 billion (Sh937.2 billion), representing 27.5 per cent of total regional exports.”
Exports to the Southern African Development Community increased 50.8 per cent to $5.1 billion (Sh664.0 billion), while shipments to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa rose 48.3 per cent to $3.1 billion (Sh403.5 billion).
Trade within the EAC also expanded, with intra-regional exports rising 33.2 per cent to $3.2 billion (Sh416.6 billion).
Kenya contributes 43.1 per cent and remains the bloc’s primary manufacturing, financial, and logistics hub.
Tanzania contributes 30 per cent anchored by strong industrial activity and extensive transit links, while Uganda contributes 17.9 per cent, driven by agricultural commodities and emerging energy sectors.
DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and Somalia account for the remaining combined share, with DR Congo leading this tier in localised mineral export volume.
However, the share of intra-EAC exports in total regional exports declined to 12.1 per cent from 12.8 per cent a year earlier as exports to markets outside the Community grew faster.
China remained the EAC’s largest individual export destination and source of imports.
Exports to China almost doubled from $5.7 billion (Sh742.0 billion) in the second quarter of 2025 to $10.7 billion (Sh1.39 trillion) in the same period of 2026, largely driven by mineral commodities and other raw materials.
Imports from China also rose from $4.7 billion (Sh611.9 billion) to $7.1 billion (Sh924.0 billion), with Kenya taking a major share.
The United Arab Emirates and South Africa were also major export destinations, while India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Japan were among the leading sources of imports.
The surge in exports, however, continues to highlight the region’s dependence on commodities.
Copper and precious metals accounted for 61.9 per cent of total EAC exports, up from 58.7 per cent a year earlier.
Coffee, tea and spices remained important agricultural exports, while petroleum products were the largest import category, alongside machinery, transport equipment and industrial supplies.
Kenya has been keen on leveraging regional and continental trade agreements to expand exports and reduce reliance on traditional markets.
Exports contribute about 7.2 per cent to Kenya’s GDP and directly or indirectly support more than 1.5 million jobs.
Horticulture remains a major export earner, generating an estimated $1.2 billion (Sh156.2 billion) annually, mainly from cut flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables sold in European markets.
According to Investments, Trade, and Industry CS Lee Kinyanjui, Kenya is aggressively expanding its footprint by leveraging regional and continental frameworks, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to boost intra-African trade and manufacturing exports.
