Kenya Calls for Accountability as Trust Concerns Threaten Trade

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Kenya has called for stronger institutional accountability and the removal of trade barriers, warning that declining public trust could undermine economic prosperity, business cooperation and regional integration.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said public institutions must demonstrate integrity, fairness and measurable results to maintain confidence among citizens and businesses.

Speaking on the second day of the Global Trust Summit in Nairobi, Mudavadi described trust as an economic asset that supports business transactions, cooperation and institutional stability.

“Trust is also economic infrastructure,” he said, adding that contracts and legal safeguards alone could not replace integrity and a reputation for keeping one’s word.

He warned that societies risk prioritising profits and transactions over ethical conduct when the results are valued more than the means used to achieve them.

“When a society loses the trust of its people, it risks losing the very foundation upon which its institutions, prosperity and common future depend,” Mudavadi said.

He cautioned that confidence in political leaders should not replace accountability, citing an Afrobarometer working paper based on surveys in 37 African countries. The study found that greater trust in presidents and ruling parties was associated with weaker public support for parliamentary oversight, media scrutiny and citizens’ ability to hold governments accountable.

“The strongest institutions are not those that ask people to trust them blindly, but those that inspire confidence through their conduct while remaining transparent, answerable and open to scrutiny,” he said.

The economic impact of trust was also highlighted by Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, James Millya, who said Kenya and Tanzania had resolved 54 of 68 identified trade barriers, leaving 14 outstanding.

Despite their shared customs union and common market, traders continue to face repeated inspections, delays and unexpected charges at border points, increasing the cost and uncertainty of moving goods between the two countries.

“The last fourteen are where trust is won or lost,” Millya said.

He said bilateral trade declined from approximately US$950 million in 2024 to US$860 million in 2025, underscoring the need to translate trade agreements into practical improvements for businesses.

Among the measures agreed upon in May 2026 were common standards to prevent repeat inspections of already-certified goods at the Namanga and Holili border points, a 30-day window for resolving disputes and quarterly reporting on implementation.

Tanzania had also removed its Industrial Development Levy on a range of Kenyan goods, Millya said.

The progress followed engagement between the two governments through the Joint Trade Committee and Joint Permanent Commission, alongside feedback from private-sector players.

However, Millya acknowledged that traders still lacked a clear channel for resolving complaints. Tanzania plans to designate a focal point to follow up on complaints with Kenya within the agreed 30-day period and propose regular consultations involving traders, truckers, women and young traders operating at Namanga and Holili.

He said the success of the measures would be measured by faster clearance, fewer repeat inspections and timely resolution of complaints rather than the signing of agreements alone.

Mudavadi also called for reforms to international institutions, arguing that fair representation and effective delivery were essential to maintaining confidence in global cooperation.

He singled out Africa’s lack of a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, saying the continent should participate directly in decisions affecting its security and future.

He said permanent African representation, consistent with the African Union’s Common African Position, would strengthen confidence in the United Nations among African citizens.

Mudavadi further called for a practical framework to rebuild trust, including clear commitments, a coalition responsible for implementation and a credible mechanism to track results.

He also cited declining public confidence in science, noting that the proportion of people who believed most people in their country benefited from science fell from 42 per cent in 2018 to 37 per cent in 2025, according to the Wellcome Global Monitor 2026.

He said scientific institutions needed to demonstrate how advances improve people’s lives through accessible healthcare, fairness, transparency and openness about uncertainty.

Korir, speaking at the summit, described trust as an invisible infrastructure supporting institutional reliability, social cohesion and international cooperation.

“Where trust is present, institutions are more effective, public confidence grows, agreements hold and cooperation endures,” he said. “Where trust is lost, the social contract upon which societies depend disintegrates.”

He called for transparent decision-making, accountability for results and consistency between commitments and actions to address domestic, regional and global challenges.

The Global Trust Summit, running in Nairobi from October 21 to 23, brings together public-sector leaders and other stakeholders to examine how trust can strengthen governance, resilient societies, inclusive economies and international cooperation.

The discussions are expected to produce a practical agenda for rebuilding confidence in institutions and ensuring that commitments translate into outcomes that citizens and businesses can experience.