‘Agreement indicates open market with heavily subsidized tariffs for UK farm products,’ argue farmers Andrew Wasike | 01.03.2021
NAIROBI, Kenya
Small farmers in Kenya have sued the state at a court in the capital Nairobi in a bid to stop a Kenya-UK trade deal.
The farmers, under the banner of Kenya Small Scale Farmer Forum (KSSF), argued that the process of the deal’s ratification is extremely flawed as no public participation was conducted by the Kenyan government before the document was proposed in parliament last week.
“The agreement indicates an open market with heavily subsidized tariffs for the UK farm products like chicken, pigs and maize that have the dangerous potential to destroy local production of the very same products,” the farmers said in a statement.
THE STANDARD
BUSINESS NEWS
Kenya s Parliament building in Nairobi (PHOTO: FILE)
NAIROBI, KENYA: A multi-billion trade deal between Kenya and United Kingdom has been ratified by both countries’ parliaments.
Parliament on Tuesday ratified the trade deal, which is estimated at Sh200 billion, a few days after the UK counterpart did the same.
On Wednesday, British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott in her tweet noted that the deal will bring significant benefits for Kenyan and British businesses, workers and the economies.
“Pleased our Economic Partnership Agreement has passed through both the UK and Kenyan Parliament. We look forward to the exchange of ratification instruments soon. This is a deal which brings significant benefits for Kenyan and British businesses, workers and our economies,” she tweeted.
MPs set stage for enforcement of UK trade after ratifying it
Wednesday March 10 2021
By JOHN MUTUA
Parliament on Tuesday evening ratified the Kenya-United Kingdom trade deal, setting the stage for free access of local products to the European nation.
Approval of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will see the 10 per cent duty Kenya charges on intermediate goods start reducing after seven years, resulting in its abolishment eight years later.
The country will, on the other hand, start phasing down the duty on finished products (currently billed from 25 per cent) after 12 years, leading to its elimination 13 years later.
MPs had initially delayed debate on the trade deal and sought more details, with a section protesting a clause that bars them from amending or expressing reservations on the pact, although protocols for such deals do not give parliaments powers to introduce changes to trade deals at the ratification stage.
The East African
Monday March 01 2021
UK’s Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena and Kenya s Trade Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina in London on December 8, 2020. PHOTO | COURTESY
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Kenyan and British parliamentarians are currently considering the ratification of a trade agreement that seeks to grant Kenyan goods unfettered access to the British market as part of new trade arrangements following the Brexit vote close to four years ago (June 2016).
The trade pact, which is a replica of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that the East African Community member states signed with the European Union, is expected to take effect by March 31 upon exchange of the instruments of ratification by Kenya and the UK.