Sudan lifts 20-month ban on Kenyan tea after Ruto meets PM Idris
Sudan has reopened its market to Kenyan tea, ending an import ban in place since March 2025. Ruto announced the move on Wednesday after meeting Prime Minister Kamil Idris at the COMESA summit in Harare.
Kenyan tea can head back to Sudan. Khartoum has lifted a 20-month import ban after talks between President William Ruto and Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris. The two leaders met in Harare, Zimbabwe. Their talks took place on the sidelines of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Heads of State and Government Summit. Ruto announced the decision on Wednesday, Capital FM reported. Sudan's Minister of Industry and Trade, Mahasin Ali Yaqoub, signed Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, People Daily reported. The order formally allows Kenyan tea imports again. According to Tuko, it takes effect immediately. The Eastleigh Voice said the decision reopens a market worth Sh9 billion. The ban hit exporters hard. People Daily reported that it left millions of kilogrammes of tea stranded in Mombasa. It also disrupted a market worth billions of shillings a year. Tuko said…
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