{"id":838930,"date":"2026-11-12T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/?p=838930"},"modified":"2026-11-11T18:54:38","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T23:54:38","slug":"sudan-lifts-20-month-ban-on-kenyan-tea-after-president-ruto-meets-prime-minister-kamil-idris-in-harare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/838930","title":{"rendered":"Sudan lifts 20 month ban on Kenyan tea after President Ruto meets Prime Minister Kamil Idris in Harare"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kenyan<\/figure>\n

Kenyan President William Ruto meets Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris on the sidelines of a COMESA summit in Harare, in a photograph Ruto shared on X in November 2026. Photo: William Ruto (@WilliamsRuto) on X.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sudan has lifted its ban on imports of Kenyan tea, which began in March 2025, after President William Ruto met Prime Minister Kamil Idris on the sidelines of a COMESA summit in Harare.<\/p>\n

Ruto announced the decision on X, and the Kenya News Agency reported that Sudan’s trade minister, Mahasin Ali Yaqoub, signed Ministerial Order No. 25 on November 8, lifting the restriction. Sudan had banned Kenyan tea and other imports on March 14, 2025, after accusing Kenya of hosting leaders of the Rapid Support Forces.<\/p>\n

Kenya rejected that accusation at the time. The Tea Board of Kenya said exports to Sudan fell from about 20 million kilograms to 8.7 million kilograms, and earnings dropped from about 4.5 billion Kenyan shillings to 1.93 billion, figures that come from the board as reported by the Kenya News Agency and that Mereja Media has not verified independently.<\/p>\n

A separate letter from Sudan’s Sovereignty Council dated November 2 had paved the way, according to Kenyan reports. Neither government has said whether other goods covered by the 2025 ban are also freed, and Mereja Media found no Sudanese statement describing any conditions attached to the decision.<\/p>\n

The move eases one of the sharpest trade disputes tied to the war in Sudan, where the army led government and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023. Kenyan tea farmers and exporters had lobbied for the ban to end because Sudan was one of their larger markets.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h4>\n