Kenyan tea can flow to Sudan again. Khartoum has ended a 20-month ban that shut Kenyan exporters out of one of their traditional markets, The Eastleigh Voice reported. The ban had disrupted shipments worth billions of shillings.
Sudan's Ministry of Industry and Trade lifted the ban through Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, issued on November 8. Minister of Industry and Trade Mahasin Ali Yaqoub signed the order. It directs all relevant authorities to enforce the decision immediately. "The ban on tea imports from Kenya is lifted," the order says. Sudan's Sovereignty Council had approved the decision in a letter dated November 2. The Cabinet followed with its own communication on November 5.
President William Ruto welcomed the decision in a statement on Wednesday. He said it followed his meeting with Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris on the sidelines of the COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe. Ruto said the reopening would give exporters new opportunities and support farmers, processors and other businesses that depend on tea. "This progress demonstrates what dialogue and constructive diplomacy can achieve," he said. He added that Kenya wants to expand trade with Sudan and work with it for peace and stability in the region.
According to The Eastleigh Voice, the breakthrough came after sustained diplomatic contacts between Nairobi and Khartoum. These included talks between senior security officials, as Kenya stepped up its push to have the restrictions removed.
Sudan imposed the ban in March 2025, when diplomatic relations between the two countries had soured. Until then, Sudan bought about 35 million kilogrammes of Kenyan tea a year. That trade brought in an estimated $70 million (KSh 9 billion) in export earnings.
The ban hit exporters who had already committed large volumes to Sudanese buyers. When it took effect, tea worth more than $24 million (KSh 3.1 billion) was either in transit to Sudan or waiting to be shipped. At the Port of Mombasa, 207 forty-foot containers of tea were left stranded while traders looked for other options.
Exporters can now return to their Sudanese buyers and start rebuilding supplies. For ordinary growers, the return of another big buyer should support demand for their tea. The outlet said the move should bring relief across the tea value chain, especially for smallholder farmers, processors, transporters and exporters.