Sudan insists it is not importing Kenyan tea, despite a bold claim by Kenyan President William Ruto on Sunday night.
Speaking to local radio stations, President Ruto insisted that Sudan continued to buy Kenyan tea despite the ban.
“By the way, we are selling tea to Sudan, even after they said they are not buying it. The market itself has forced them. We sell tea today to Sudan, so there is no issue about selling tea, and that is why we are making money in the tea sector,” Ruto said.
But in a rejoinder on Monday, war-torn Khartoum insisted it had not reversed the March 14th, 2025, decision barring any imports from Nairobi.
“This decision has been fully implemented and since then, no Kenyan products including Kenyan tea, have been imported into Sudan,” reads part of the statement published on social media site X by the Sudanese embassy in Nairobi.
Sudan made the move three weeks ago after Nairobi flagrantly hosted a paramilitary group fighting the Khartoum administration- Rapid Response Forces. Despite Kenya’s insistence that its act was in line with commitments to regional peace and stability, the Sudan junta termed it an act of hostility.
“The import of all products coming from the State of Kenya through all ports, crossings, airports, and outlets is suspended, effective from this date until further notice,” Acting Minister Omar Ahmed Mohamed Ali said then.
Media reports indicate that there are as many as 207 containers of Kenyan tea, stuck along the supply chain to Sudan. This is estimated at over Ksh100 million with another 400 bags of tea destined for Sudan stuck at the Kenyan port of Mombasa.