India Kenya's largest Asian trading partner

By Maina Waruru. India, which has a thriving diaspora in Kenya estimated at 100,000, became the East African nation's biggest trading partner in Asia in 2012, surpassing China, a government document says.
India exported to Kenya goods worth $240 million, way ahead of Asia's biggest economy China, which exported goods valued at $148 million.The figure represents a growth of around 30 percent when compared to 2011.
The figures, according to Kenya's National Economic Survey 2013, represented 18 percent of Kenya's imports in 2012, asserting India's growing influence in the east African region. Exports to Kenya, according to Indian High Commissioner Sibabrata Tripathi, included petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, steel products, hand and machine tools, yarn, vehicles and paper.
Kenya, on the other hand, exported soda ash, coffee, leather, vegetables, synthetic fibers, wool, cereals and metal scrap to India.
While the figures seem impressive for a small economy like Kenya, with a population of 40 million, Tripathi said they represented less than one percent of India's total global exports. Read more...