Country Profile

As a market-based economy with a supportive domestic policy environment, Kenya has been dubbed the commercial “gateway” to East Africa. With Mombasa acting as a trade platform with one of the busiest ports in the region, and the capital Nairobi the country’s political and financial centre, the country has quickly recovered in the aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis and has been able to sustain strong annual growth levels of over 5%. Following the electoral victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017, the Big Four agenda, a list of priority initiatives and projects for his second term of government running until 2022, was announced. Those programmes are organised around four pillars: food and nutritional security; affordable housing; manufacturing; and universal health care. This chapter contains interviews with President Uhuru Kenyatta; Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Libérat Mfumukeko, Secretary-General, EAC; and Liam Fox, UK Secretary of State for International Trade.