Regional integration in East Africa has always carried enormous promise, but that promise only becomes meaningful when it translates into lower costs for traders, faster movement of goods, and predictable rules for businesses. Integration is not sustained by speeches or communiques. It is sustained by the political economy choices that governments make every day, and by the willingness to confront the barriers that quietly drain competitiveness across the region.
Kenya’s recent performance in regional trade shows what happens when integration is treated as an economic strategy rather than a diplomatic aspiration. Our exports to the East African Community (EAC) have risen to Ksh351 billion, a 9 percent increase that now accounts for 77 percent of all exports to Africa and nearly a third of our global exports. Our regional trade surplus has grown from Ksh217 billion in 2024 to Ksh248 billion in 2025, securing a 35 percent share of intra East African Community trade.
