US-Kenya trade talks stalls over new demands
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US-Kenya trade talks stalls over new demands by Kenyan investors in Agriculture who demanded to be included in the negotiations
US-Kenya trade talks stalls over new demands by Kenyan investors in Agriculture who demanded to be included in the negotiations.
On Tuesday, April 11, a group of agronomists urged the governments of Kenya and the United States to halt negotiations until their requests are taken into account.
The first round of negotiations for Kenya and the United States of America’s Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership were slated to take place from April 17–20, 2023.
Kenyan agricultural investors, however, insisted that their agenda be included in the main points of the conversation the Biden Administration will have with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum and Eco News Africa encouraged the two governments to make sure that their suggestions were included in the negotiations.
The two organizations claimed that their members will be disadvantaged if the discussions are held without their input, especially, in the agricultural sector.
They noted that their demands were initially ignored during the conceptual discussions under the STIP initiative which was held in Washington, DC, on February 0, 2023.
“During those meetings, the United States and Kenya engaged in productive discussions and exchanged views on the key concepts to be addressed in the trade areas set out on July 14, 2022, joint statement launching the STIP initiative,” read part of the statement.
The umbrella bodies for small-scale farmers took an extraordinary step to challenge the Kenya-US Trade Deal just the way they previously declined the newly signed economic partnership agreement between the Republic of Kenya on one hand and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2020.
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On March 1, 2021, the two groups in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) filed a case at the Constitutional and Human Rights Division, seeking to compel Kenya and the United Kingdom to ensure transparency and effective public participation before the agreement is made into law by the National Assembly.
However, Kenya and the United Kingdom went ahead and ratified the trade deal, but promised transparency in all activities.
The United States and Kenya shared the goal of negotiating high-standard commitments in order to achieve economically meaningful outcomes.
The areas of focus included agriculture, anti-corruption, digital trade, environment and climate action, good regulatory practices, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
Other areas include protecting workers’ rights and protections and supporting the participation of women, youth, and others in the trade.
Americans also proposed negotiations in the areas of standards collaboration, trade facilitation and customs procedures, and service domestic regulation.
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