Islamic Republic of Pakistan is now the largest buyer of Kenyan goods. This is after goods exported to the country jumped 90.8 per cent to sh24.8 billion from 13 billion last year as at May. Uganda and Tanzania were top importers of Kenyan products for years over.

Exports to Pakistan have more than doubled over the past two years from Sh9.9 billion in the first five months of 2015 to the current Sh24.8 billion.

Even after Kenya ousted India and the west at large for China as highest importer, the United States is moving fast to bridge shipment gap that is now at 18.5 billion a 20 per cent growth in the past year according to Kenya National Bureau of Statics data.

The US intake has grown over 31 per cent in the two-year period from Sh14.1 billion to now over sh19 billion.

According to a reliable Kenyan daily, the flip side of this is that exports to Uganda remained unchanged at Sh21.9 billion in the year to May while Tanzania cut back its purchases from Kenya 34 per cent to Sh8.2 billion.

Uganda has in the past years been the driver of Kenya’s exports while Tanzania was once the second largest buyer of goods from Nairobi, before narrowing its orders. Reliable sources say total exports grew by 2.2billion to 221 billion in the year up to May 2017.

Pakistan’s rise in Kenyan exports has been attached to its appetite for Kenyan tea exports, as flowers and textile were exported to Europe and United states respectively. Data collated by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics from the Kenya Tea Directorate shows that the value of exports to the world’s sixth most populous country more than doubled, rising 110.81 per cent to Sh15.6 billion as at June 2017 from Sh7.4 billion same Quarter 2016.

Other key tea export destinations were Egypt ( 5.87 million kilos), the UK ( 3.17 million kilos), Sudan ( 2.47 million kilos) and United Arab Emirates ( 2.31 million kilos).

Other than tea exports, the US preferential trade pact that allows Sub-Saharan countries to export goods to the states tax-free boosted the export monies.