In a strategic move to reverse a two-year decline in bilateral trade, the President of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Dr. Erick Rutto, hosted the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Kenya, H.E. Nasra Salim Al Hashmi, for a high-level courtesy visit at the Chamber headquarters.

The meeting centered on leveraging centuries of cultural and historical interconnectedness to forge deep, modern economic partnerships that deliver tangible business value for both nations.

Key Highlights & Strategic Impact

• Optimizing Maritime Logistics: Both leadership teams underscored the geographical advantage of the close proximity between Kenya’s Mombasa and Lamu ports and Oman’s . With shipping transit times ranging from just 5 to 12 days, there is a clear, untapped opportunity to drastically lower logistics costs and accelerate supply chain efficiencies for traders.

• Targeted Sector Growth: The discussions mapped out high-yield import and export opportunities. Kenya is positioned to scale its export of premium tea, coffee, meat, and live animals, while Oman offers a reliable pipeline for high-quality dates, petroleum, and petroleum products.

• Agricultural and Livestock Expansion: To maximize Kenya’s resource capacity, Dr. Rutto invited Omani investors to leverage Kenya’s vast livestock population for processing and re-export to the Gulf region. Additionally, he proposed large-scale land leasing frameworks for cultivation, presenting a lucrative avenue for Omani agricultural investments.

• Gateway to Global Markets: H.E. Ambassador Nasra Salim Al Hashmi highlighted Oman’s geopolitical value as a premier logistical gateway to the Middle East, Central Asia, and wider Asia, driven by its corridor connecting Iran and Malaysia. Furthermore, Omani enterprises benefit from an active Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, offering Kenyan businesses a strategic indirect entry point into premium global markets.

Resolving Trade Barriers & Next Steps

A major outcome of the bilateral talks was a joint commitment to aggressively address regulatory bottlenecks that have historically hindered trade velocity.

The Impact Formula: To transition discussions into actionable commerce, both delegations agreed to establish dedicated institutional focal points. These teams will actively lobby both governments to expedite the signing of the pending Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement, while simultaneously operationalizing the stalled partnership frameworks between the sister ports of both countries.

Through these targeted interventions, KNCCI and the Omani Embassy are laying down the regulatory and logistical infrastructure necessary to catalyze a new era of robust, cross-border commercial growth.

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As part of the Agreement, KCEP will support the Chamber to Review and enhance the institutional and advocacy framework required to facilitate Public-Private-Dialogue in Kajiado, Kilifi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Narok, Nakuru, Turkana and Uasin Gishu counties. The Agreement also includes support towards the development a database of new laws, regulations, licenses, taxes, fees that have implications on the county business environment to enable tracking and analysis of the business environment.

President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Richard Ngatia said “A project of this stature is commendable, as it shall: – Promote better diagnosis of the investment climate problems, design of policy reforms, build an atmosphere of mutual trust and understanding between public and private sector and improving social cohesion.”

Sarah Ochieng, the Program Manager from the World Bank Group’s Kenya Competitiveness Enhancement Program said: “At the national level, Kenya has received regional recognition as a benchmark amongst her peers when it comes to matters PPD and it is a high time we cascaded the learnings to the County level.”

KCEP is a four-year program financed by UK Aid, which aims to strengthen Kenya’s business environment, enhance efficiency and transparency. KCEP also supports the development of markets in key sectors leading to increased private investment through targeted legal and regulatory improvements at national and sub-national levels. KCEP is being implemented by the World Bank Group’s Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice

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