The smaller countries matter: the example of Kenya

The sources used for this paper are freely available. It just requires a quick search.

If the UK leaves the EU it will need to import from and export to other countries. Much of the talk around this has been to do with single market access, deals with the USA an China and so on. There are smaller countries that can offer a surprisingly good partnership to the UK, and where the paperwork can be completed in weeks.

An example of such a country is Kenya. Here are some figures that may surprise you.

Kenya has ease of trading across borders. Importing a standard container of goods into Kenya requires 7 documents, 26days and costs £1415. Kenya’s economy has been growing at around 5% for the last six years and is predicted to increase to 6.5% next year.

The UK is Kenya’s second most important export destination. Kenya mainly exports tea, coffee and horticultural products, with the country accounting for 27% of the fresh produce and 56% of the black tea market in the UK. Motor vehicles, printed materials, machinery and chemicals form the bulk of imports from the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is the 6th major tourist destination in the world and, currently, the largest source market for Kenya’s tourism.

In 2013 exports from Kenya to the UK amounted to £296,400,000, whilst import to Kenya from the UK amounted to £382,200,000. There are approximately 250,000 British nationals who are permanent residents in Kenya, and over 200,000 Kenyans living in the United Kingdom.

The British Army trains troops in Kenya, in preparation for operations in countries such as Afghanistan. The Unit is known as the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). It is a permanent training unit with stations in Kahawa, Nairobi and Nanyuki. BATUK provides logistical support to visiting units of the British Army. It consists of 56 permanent staff and a reinforcement of 110 personnel. An agreement with the Government of Kenya allows six infantry battalions to train in Kenya annually, with exercises running for six weeks. There are also three Royal Engineer Squadron exercises which carry out civil engineering projects and two medical company group deployments which provide primary health care assistance to the civilian community.

The troops train in Kenya as part of a 40-year military history. They assist in the prevention of poaching of rhinos and elephants, and are said to contribute £58 million to the Kenyan economy annually. History. This is argued to be of strategic benefit.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Kenya four times, in 1952, 1972, 1983 and 1991.

Not all is rosy in the garden and there have been concerns in the UK about the president Uhuru Kenyatta. In addition, China and Kenya are courting trade.

Currently the UK must deal with Kenya according to its EU obligations. With the trade history and bonds between the two countries, Britain would do well to to tie up a pre-EU exit deal with Kenya – and also with many of the Commonwealth nations, of which there are around 52.

This may seem like small beer, but tying up your tea and coffee supplies, your fresh produce, and being able to invest sensibly with results coming back to the UK, seems to me like an idea that should be explored very quickly.

I am looking at this from a purely economic perspective. For the humanitarians amongst you, this give a major opportunity to upskill some valuable allies and to improve quality of life in countries where some of the population are desperate.