President William Ruto has appointed five of his Cabinet Secretaries to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Council which was formed following a trade agreement between Kenya and the European Union.
Through a Gazette Notice dated Friday, November 22, Ruto appointed Trade CS Salim Mvurya as the council's chairperson.
Other council members include Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Treasury CS John Mbadi, Environment CS Aden Duale and Agriculture CS Andrew Karanja.
Ruto explained that the five CSs would be tasked with representing Kenya and its interests in the council.
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"Pursuant to the establishment of the EPA Council in the Economic Partnership Agreement between Kenya, a Member of the
East African Community, on the one part, and the European Union, on the other part; it is notified for the general information to the public that five appointed members of the EPA Council representing Kenya," read the notice in part.
Kenya and the EU signed the economic agreement in 2023 after months of negotiations.
The EPA aims to bolster trade between Kenya and EU countries. One major benefit of the deal is the access granted to Kenyan exports.
"The agreement will provide duty-free, quota-free EU market access to all exports from Kenya (except arms) as soon as it enters into force, as well as partial and gradual opening of the Kenyan market to imports from the EU," the EU stated after the signing.
"The agreement includes binding provisions on trade and sustainable development, such as climate and environmental protection and labour rights, and a transparent dispute resolution mechanism."
