The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has warned that the post-election disruptions in neighbouring Tanzania could threaten trade in the East African region.
This follows the contentious 2025 presidential election in Tanzania, where unrest has spilt across the border into the Kenyan town of Namanga, halting trade and prompting calls for calm amid a nationwide Internet blackout.
Demonstrations during the elections in Tanzania prompted curfews in major cities, including Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza, halting cross-border trade and transport operations.
“What is happening in Tanzania is of interest to Kenya, the country exported goods in 2024, worth Sh67 billion to Tanzania, and imported goods worth about Sh58 billion. So that shows you Tanzania is a market that we need to have,” Mr Tobias Alando, KAM chief executive, told the Business Daily.
“If there is chaos in Tanzania, it means our businessmen who are exporting their products there are not able to access that market and we have to get concerned … and the businesses that also import some materials or some products from Tanzania are not able to import those products because of what is happening or what has been happening in Tanzania.”
Asked about how much manufacturers have lost to these disruptions, Mr Alando said: “We’ve not quantified yet, but I’ve just given you the figures in terms of what we’re exporting, and if that doesn’t continue, it means generally a loss to our markets, both in and out.”
Kenya imports a variety of goods from Tanzania, primarily food and agricultural products like maize, onions, and edible fruits.
The unrest in the country has impacted the movement of goods, raw materials, and finished products.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said on Tuesday that the ongoing unrest in Tanzania has disrupted trade between the two nations and, if it persists, could result in high inflation as goods from the neighbouring country will become scarce and expensive.
“There is no economy that can succeed without peace. Peace is paramount, and peace is key.
“Just see what happened in our neighbourhood a couple of days ago, there was a disturbance in our neighbourhood, even the food that used to come to Marikiti stopped coming,” he said.
Mr Alando said political uncertainty affects trade in the East African Community bloc.
“Peace and stability in the East African region are good for all of us. When one East African country is burning, then it affects every one of us…You see, logistics is affected, we can’t move people, we can’t move goods, we can’t move our trucks in and out of Tanzania,” he said.
“The airport, the air traffic is also affected. Traders who go in, pick certain goods from Tanzania and come back are also affected. So our prayer is that we need to work together to support Tanzania so that it comes back to stability.”
