Reprieve as Trump Spares Kenya in Latest White House Order

Kenyan exporters can breathe a sigh of relief after the United States spared them from the sweeping tariffs imposed on exports from several countries across the continent and the world.
President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday, July 31,announced steep tariffs on exports from several trading partnersas part of the broader strategy to reorganise the global economy.
Trump signed an executive order imposing additional tariffs that range from 10 per cent to 41 per cent on several countries. The order lists a higher export duty on leading world economies such as Brazil, India, Japan, Israel, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
WhileKenya was spared in the latest round of export taxes, African countries that faced the heat include South Africa and Algeria, which were slapped with a 30 per cent tariff on exports.
Other African countries include Ghana,Côte d`Ivoire,Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Cameroon, Botswana and Angola, which were all hit with a 15 per cent tariff increase.
Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe also faced a 15 per cent duty hike. In East Africa, Uganda was the only country affected by the latest US executive order.
As per the executive order, goods from all other countries not listed, including Kenya, would be subject to a 10 per cent US import tax.
While making the announcement, the  US government revealed that despite engaging in negotiations with some of the trading partners, the said countries offered terms that did not sufficiently address the trading imbalances.
“The Secretary of Commerce and the US Trade Representative shall recommend additional action, if necessary, should a foreign trading partner fail to take adequate steps to address the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257,” read part of the executive order.
“This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations,” the executive order read further.
The latest executive order not only revises the reciprocal tariffs of the said countries but also reveals the date when the hiked duties take effect.
According to the white house document, the changes are expected to take effect seven days from the time of signing of the executive order.
However, goods from the 70 countries affected by the latest executive order will be exempted from the new tariff if they are uploaded into the ships before August 7.