Kenya: The Trade Ministry has abandoned plans to repeal a controversial 17.5% levy on imported clinker, ending a long-term dispute with the country’s president William Ruto. Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui said the ministry has dropped earlier plans to repeal the levy, citing increased local clinker production.
The government introduced the 17.5% levy on clinker in July 2023, with clinker imports falling from 148,000t in 2023 to just 10,300t in 2024. The ministry had previously petitioned for the removal of the export and investment promotion levy on imported clinker, arguing that relying on heavily protected raw materials skewed industry competition and choked independent manufacturers who lacked clinker capacity. This position had contradicted president Ruto, who, in December 2025, indicated that Kenya had enough capacity to produce its own clinker.
