Kenya contributes the largest weight in the region's economic basket at 43.1% A farmer picks tea, one of Kenya's key exports/ FILE Kenya has maintained its pole position as East Africa's trade and economic hub as regional trade expanded in the second quarter of 2026, according the East Africa Community Quarterly Statistics Bulletin.
This, as the country seeks to further deepen its market share in the bloc and diversify exports through the African Continental Free Trade Area. The East African Community recorded total trade of $52.3 billion (Sh6.81 trillion) in the three months to June, up 37 per cent from $38.2 billion (Sh4.97 trillion) in the same quarter of 2025, which includes trading with the rest of the world.
According to the April-June 2026 report, exports rose 41.3 per cent to $26.3 billion (Sh3.42 trillion), while imports increased by 32.9 per cent to $26 billion (Sh3.38 trillion). This resulted in a regional trade surplus of $0.3 billion (Sh39.1 billion), reversing a deficit of $945.3 million (Sh123.0 billion) recorded a year earlier.
“African markets remained important to the region’s export growth,” EAC notes in its bulletin, “EAC exports to the continent jumped 44.3 per cent to USD7.2 billion (Sh937.2 billion), representing 27.5 per cent of total regional exports.” Exports to the Southern African Development Community increased 50.8 per cent to $5.1 billion (Sh664.0 billion), while shipments to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa rose 48.3 per cent to $3.1 billion (Sh403.5 billion).
Trade within the EAC also expanded, with intra-regional exports rising 33.2 per cent to $3.2 billion (Sh416.6 billion). Kenya contributes 43.1 per cent and remains the bloc's primary manufacturing, financial, and logistics hub. Tanzania contributes 30 per cent anchored by strong industrial activity and extensive transit links, while Uganda contributes 17.9 per cent, driven by agricultural commodities and emerging energy sectors.