US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly cancelled his planned tour of Nairobi and Addis Ababa, hours after Kenya’s President William Ruto departed to Beijing for five-day State Visit to China.
According to Africa Intelligence, Rubio’s first African tour since being appointed by President Trump last year — which was expected to cover both security and trade issues — has been postponed indefinitely.
Rubio was set to land in Nairobi on Monday, April 28.
Sources say the abrupt cancellation was occasioned by Kenya’s latest dalliance with Beijing, rising corruption, and President Ruto’s relationships with rebels in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Ruto, whose tour begins today, becomes the first African leader to visit Beijing since US tariffs disrupted global trade. This visit, analysts say, presents Nairobi with a unique opportunity to capitalise on the fallout.
Kenya is among the 185 countries affected by the punitive trade tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration. Since 5 April 2025, a 10 per cent baseline tariff has applied to all imports into the US from these countries.
The 10 per cent levy is described as a “commencement tariff”, meaning there will be additional or increased tariffs for countries that the United States believes have taken advantage of its economy over the years.
The new minimum tariffs affect all exports from Kenya to the US, including products under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which has allowed Kenya to export over 50 per cent of its goods duty-free to the US.
This preferential trade programme is set to expire later this year.
For many years and under several US administrations, Kenya has benefitted from low import duties, particularly through the AGOA framework.
Against the backdrop of shifting trade winds, President Ruto will be aiming to secure substantial economic benefits from China while navigating complex international trade dynamics, officials said.
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