TRADE:  A coastal lobby wants commencement of negotiations on the proposed Kenya’s free trade deal with the US delayed due to the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.

President Donald Trump’s administration has asked American and Kenyan firms to share their views on the proposed free trade window as it lays grounds for the pact.

Trump and President Uhuru Kenyatta announced on February 6 the intention to start formal trade talks on the free trade deal.

However, the movement dubbed Okoa Mombasa argues that the current context of the spreading pandemic does not present a conducive environment for negotiations

 “We call on the US to delay the commencement of negotiations until there is a greater understanding and appreciation of the post-Covid world and its impact on the current status,” reads a statement signed by a member of the lobby Khelef Khalifa.

Civil society

The coalition consists of community groups, workers’ unions, civil society organisations, the business community, professional associations in the coastal region.

The group said it wants full recognition of human rights, including prohibition of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking

“We want acceptable conditions of work including minimum wage, work hours, occupational health and safety effective and robust enforcement and redress mechanisms that promotes transparency and accountability,” the statement said.

The group has also warned against odious debt and other forms of exploitative financing of trade as well as protection against corrupt practices, illicit financial flows and other finance-related crimes.

“Negotiations should ensure inclusion and consultation of various sectors of the public, including civil society.

This would ensure that concerns of citizens, small businesses, and informal traders are considered,” it added.

A trade agreement with Kenya would be the first US free trade deal in sub-Saharan Africa. The deal would replace the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which expires in 2025.

Agoa grants 40 African states quota and duty-free access to the US market of more than 6,000 product lines.

Kenya’s total exports to the US under the Agoa plan peaked at Sh35.2 billion in 2015, before declining to Sh32.7 billion in 2017, according to the Economic Survey data.