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Sudan , November 11, 2026 - Sudan has lifted its ban on Kenyan tea imports, ending a 20-month restriction that cut off one of Kenya’s most valuable export markets and left tea worth more than Sh3.1 billion stranded or awaiting shipment. Sudan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026 on November 8, directing authorities to implement the reversal immediately.
The decision reopens a market that historically bought about 35 million kilogrammes of Kenyan tea annually, worth roughly US$70 million, or Sh9 billion. It is a major relief for Kenyan growers, exporters, transporters and smallholder farmers who had absorbed losses after Sudan froze imports in March 2025.
Sudan’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Mahasin Ali Yaqoub, signed the order titled Lifting of the Ban on Tea Imports from Kenya on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The order formally revokes the restriction on Kenyan tea and instructs all relevant Sudanese authorities to implement the decision without delay.
The move followed approval by Sudan’s Sovereignty Council in a letter dated November 2, 2026, and a subsequent Cabinet communication issued on November 5. The ministerial order took effect immediately upon signing, giving Kenyan exporters legal clearance to resume shipments to Sudan.
The ban had been imposed in March 2025, when Sudan suspended imports from Kenya through its airports, seaports, railways and land borders. Sudan said the measure was intended to protect its national interests and security after Kenya hosted events involving the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s army.
The dispute began after RSF leaders and allied groups signed a political charter in Nairobi on February 22, 2025, seeking to establish a parallel administration to Sudan’s government. Two days later, Sudan’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hussein Al Fadil, warned that Kenya could face an import ban.
“This is due to the interference in Sudan’s internal affairs and the hosting of events for the terrorist RSF militia and its allies, which target Sudan’s security, stability, and unity,” Al Fadil said at the time.
Sudan’s decision was therefore political rather than commercial. Kenya’s tea sector became collateral damage in a wider diplomatic rupture: Khartoum viewed Nairobi’s engagement with the RSF as interference in its internal affairs, while Kenya maintained that it was pursuing regional peace efforts.
The ban’s economic impact was immediate. Tea worth more than US$24 million, about Sh3.1 billion, was already in transit or awaiting shipment when the restrictions took effect. A total of 207 forty-foot containers were stranded at the Port of Mombasa, compounding costs for exporters, shipping lines and tea farmers.
The formal barrier has now been removed. Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026 gives Sudanese authorities the legal basis to process Kenyan tea imports, and it directs relevant institutions to enforce the lifting of the restriction.
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However, the order does not specify the volume of tea Sudan expects to import, the value of renewed trade, or the exact date when the first shipments will move. Its immediate effect is to restore market access; the practical recovery of trade will depend on exporters renewing contracts, securing logistics, meeting quality and documentation requirements, and rebuilding buyer relationships disrupted during the embargo.
The reversal follows months of diplomatic engagement. A high-level Kenyan mission to Sudan preceded the order, in what a senior government official described as “an economic-intelligence-led diplomacy.” Earlier, Sudan had signalled willingness to pursue dialogue on restoring trade after talks involving Sudan’s Ambassador to Kenya, Kamal Gubara, and leaders of the East African Tea Trade Association.
Kenyan exporters are likely to move first to clear existing inventories and resume contracted shipments. The reopening could support demand for Kenyan tea, improve prospects for growers and help restore foreign-exchange earnings, although the scale of recovery will depend on how quickly commercial flows resume.
For smallholder farmers, the immediate benefit may be gradual rather than instant. Sudan’s market historically absorbed a substantial share of Kenyan tea, but exporters will need to rebuild distribution channels, negotiate prices and manage the backlog created by the 20-month interruption.
The bigger risk is political. The order lifts the tea restriction, but it does not appear to resolve the underlying disagreement over Kenya’s relationship with the RSF. If relations deteriorate again, Sudan could reintroduce barriers, making diversification of export markets and stronger diplomatic safeguards important for the tea industry.
Tea is one of Kenya’s leading agricultural exports and a major source of foreign exchange. Sudan had long been an important destination for Kenyan tea, purchasing about 35 million kilogrammes annually before the dispute.
The import ban was part of a broader rupture triggered by Kenya’s hosting of RSF-linked political activities. The RSF has been fighting Sudan’s army for control of the country, and Khartoum regarded the Nairobi meetings as a direct challenge to its authority.
Kenya’s diplomatic balancing act has been complicated by the war in Sudan, which has created competing political constituencies and heightened regional sensitivities. The tea ban showed how quickly geopolitical disputes can translate into concrete costs for ordinary producers and traders.
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