President William Ruto has announced that Kenya could become the first country to sign a comprehensive trade agreement with the United States under Donald Trump’s reign, following the recently concluded health partnership deal between the two nations.

Speaking during the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Ruto dismissed concerns about America’s growing interest in Kenya.

He noted that every country acts according to its own interests and emphasised that the U.S. sees Kenya as a strategic partner in driving economic growth.

Ruto revealed that he had already engaged the U.S. Trade Minister for discussions, and Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui has also held two rounds of talks with his American counterpart on trade matters.

According to the president, the U.S. market remains critical for Kenya. He noted that Kenya exports goods worth more than Ksh128 billion (USD 800 million) annually to the U.S., making it one of the few markets where Kenya enjoys a relatively balanced trade relationship.

He added that Kenya is on track to conclude the bilateral trade agreement by the end of January, even as negotiations on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) continue.

“We might be the first country to conclude a bilateral trade agreement with the US again; forget about what we have done on health,” Ruto said.

Also watch: Kenya Secures USD 1 Billion U.S. Debt-for-Food Deal to Boost Food Security.

Expressing confidence in the growing ties between Nairobi and Washington, Ruto said the current cooperation is intentional and strategically designed to strengthen Kenya’s economic and diplomatic position, not a product of guesswork or trial and error.

The president also highlighted the long-standing Kenya–U.S. relationship, noting that the U.S. has now overtaken traditional markets such as the United Kingdom and Italy to become Kenya’s leading source of international tourists. As of 2024, Kenya received 306,000 visitors from the U.S., the highest from any single country.

Ruto further pointed out that American investors remain the largest participants in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), underscoring the depth of economic ties between the two nations.

US-Kenya health partnership

These come as Kenya and the United States have signed a historic five-year, Ksh400 billion ($2.5 billion) Health Cooperation Framework on December 4, 2025, marking the first time the U.S. has entered a direct government-to-government bilateral health deal with an African nation.

These have elicited reactions from Kenyans, with many wanting to know the interests of the USA in Kenya.