The United Kingdom’s Trade Relations with Kenya in the Context of Brexit

Authors

  • Łukasz Jureńczyk Kazimierz Wielki University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34767/SIIP.2019.18.05

Keywords:

The United Kingdom, Kenya, trade relations, Brexit

Abstract

The subject of the article is trade cooperation between Great Britain and Kenya in the context of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. The article characterizes the commercial cooperation of Great Britain and Kenya and discusses the trends existing in this field in recent years. The main threats to this cooperation that Brexit brings are presented, as well as the actions that states must implement to counteract the negative consequences of Brexit and the opportunities that Brexit potentially gives to deepening trade cooperation between countries. In addition, the political climate change that has occurred between countries in recent years, which has a significant impact on the implementation of economic cooperation, including trade, has been outlined. The purpose of the article is to present and evaluate the challenges that the countries face in the context of Brexit, which they must overcome in order to maintain and deepen trade cooperation. The main research problem is whether Brexit will weaken or accelerate trade relations between Great Britain and Kenya? The main hypothesis of the article is that Brexit causes great uncertainty about the future of trade cooperation between Great Britain and Kenya. However, it gives the opportunity to dynamize this cooperation, and Kenya can become a model partner for the United Kingdom within the concept of „Global Britain” promoted by London. Kenya’s positive development trends make it an increasingly attractive trading partner for Great Britain. However, Kenya wants to take advantage of the UK’s search for trading partners outside the European Union.

References

Bilateral trade between Kenya and United Kingdom in 2018. International Trade Centre. Retrieved from: https://www.trademap.org/Bilateral.aspx?nvpm=1%7

Bilateral trade between United Kingdom and Kenya in 2018. International Trade Centre. Retrieved from: https://www.trademap.org/Bilateral.aspx?nvpm=1%7

Crump, S. (2019, August 30). Kenya holds the upper hand when it comes to Brexit. Portland. Retrieved from: https://portland-communications.com/2018/08/30/

DFID Kenya. (2018, July). Gov.uk. Retrieved from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government

Haque, N. (2019, October 25). Brexit effect: UK looks beyond EU to Kenya flower farms. Aljazeera. Retrieved from: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/

Kamau, J. (2013, March 21). China threat forces UK rethink of Kenya policy. Business Daily. Retrieved from: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/

Kamau, M.M. (2018, November). Kenya and Britain Diplomatic Relations, 1963 to 2017. Nairobi. Kenyatta University Institutional Repository. Retrieved from: https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle

Kenya. The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved from: https://oec.world/en/profile/country/ken/.

Kenya-UK Relations. Kenya High Commission. Retrieved from: https://kenyahighcom.org.uk/kenya-uk-relations.html.

Kohnert, D. (2018). More Equitable Britain–Africa Relations Post-Brexit: Doomed to Fail? Africa Spectrum, No 53, 2, pp. 119–129.

Krishnan, A., te Velde, D.W. & Were, A. (2018, July). Report. Kenya–UK trade and investment relations: taking stock and promoting exports to the UK. Supporting Economic Transformation. Retrieved from: https://set.odi.org/wp-content/

Maluki, P.M. (2019, November 7). Why the US, UK, France and Norway are taking sides in Kenya’s maritime row with Somalia. Quartz. Retrieved from: https://qz.com/africa/1743984/us-uk-france-norway-pick-sides-in-kenya-somaliamaritime-row/.

Mold, A. (2018). The consequences of Brexit for Africa: The case of the East African Community. Journal of African Trade, Volume 5, Issue 1–2, pp. 1–17.

Mutambo, A. (2019, March 26). Kenya to bolster UK ties despite Brexit challenges: Esipisu. Daily Nation. Retrieved from: https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Kenya-UK-ties-remain-despite-Brexit-politics/1056–5043732-aebpkj/index.html.

Ng’ang’a, J. (2019, September 29). Kenya’s Big Four Agenda Gets Global Recognition. Kenya News Agency. Retrieved from: http://www.kenyanews.go.ke/kenyasbig-four-agenda-gets-global-recognition/.

Nzau, M. (2016). The Strategic Art of Appeasing Old Lovers while Courting New Friends: Kenya’s Foreign Relations in Retrospect. In: M.M. Kithinji, M.M.Koster. & J.P. Rotich (eds.), Kenya After 50: Reconfiguring Historical, Political, and Policy Milestones (137–164). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Our new Trade20 index reveals the rising stars of global trade. (2019, September 23). Standard Chartered. Retrieved from: https://www.sc.com/en/media/pressrelease/our-new-trade20-index-reveals-the-rising-stars-of-global-trade/.

Prime Minister’s press statement in Nairobi: 30 August 2018. (2018, August 30). Gov.uk. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/primeministers-press-statement-in-nairobi-30-august-2018.

UK pledges further support towards port of Mombasa. (2015, May 22). Gov.uk.Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-pledges-furthersupport-towards-port-of-mombasa.

Wakaya, J. (2019, May 3). UK pledges stronger ties with Kenya, denies counterchecking China. Capital Business. Retrieved from: https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2019/05/uk-pledges-stronger-ties-with-kenya-denies-counter-checkingchina/.

Downloads

Published

2019-12-18

Issue

Section

Studies and analysis

How to Cite

The United Kingdom’s Trade Relations with Kenya in the Context of Brexit. (2019). World of Ideas and Politics, 18, 85-95. https://doi.org/10.34767/SIIP.2019.18.05