- Tea Board urges exporters to move quickly to reclaim Kenya’s lost Sudan market.
- Reopening follows a 20-month suspension that sharply reduced tea exports and earnings.
- Exporters must meet quality, customs and import requirements as shipments resume.
The Tea Board of Kenya has asked traders and exporters to resume tea shipments to Sudan immediately, with the market now open again.
The call came in a statement signed by Chief Executive Officer Willy K. Mutai. However, the Board stressed that exporters must still comply fully with export, quality, customs and import requirements. Rushing shipments without meeting those rules could put the fresh opening at risk.
The urgency is easy to understand. Over the 20 months that trade was suspended, Kenya’s tea volumes to Sudan dropped from about 20 million kilogrammes to 8.7 million kilogrammes. Earnings fell even more sharply, from Ksh 4.5 billion to Ksh 1.93 billion.
Sudan remains a prize worth recovering. It has historically ranked among Kenya’s top five tea export destinations, and in 2024 it imported about 10.7 million kilogrammes of Kenyan tea valued at Ksh 2.3 billion.
Sudan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade formalised the new position through Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, effective November 8, 2026. For farmers, factories, traders and exporters, that order opens the door to winning back lost business.
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The Board said the moment also gives the sector a chance to rebuild volumes, recover earnings and restore commercial ties. In turn, this should strengthen Kenya’s standing in the global tea trade.
Getting here took work behind the scenes. The Board thanked the governments of Kenya and Sudan, along with other institutions and stakeholders, for diplomatic efforts that made the outcome possible.
Going forward, it plans to work closely with the Government, exporters and industry players. The aim is to ease the resumption of trade, widen market access and cement Kenya’s reputation as a dependable supplier of quality tea.
Ultimately, the Board sees a wider lesson. Diplomatic engagement, strategic market development and steady collaboration, it said, are vital in protecting and expanding Kenya’s tea export interests.
By Benedict Aoya
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