Kenya, on the lines of ‘Make in India’ campaign, has rolled out the ‘Make It Kenya’ campaign to showcase investment, commerce and tourism opportunities there. India is among top five key markets for tourists visiting Kenya. Phyllis Kandie, minister in charge (cabinet secretary), the ministry of east African affairs, commerce and tourism of Kenya, in an interview withRitwik Mukherjee, talks about various aspects of the bilateral trade and other relations. Excerpts:

What is the present volume of bilateral trade?

We consider India a key trade and investment partner on the back of heightened interest from Indian companies in leveraging Kenya’s fast-paced economic growth and cross-sector opportunities. The volume of trade in 2014 stood at $4.235 billion, with primary target sectors being telecommunications, petrochemicals, chemicals, floriculture and engineering contracts. The main export items from Kenya are horticultural and tea, followed by textiles, tobacco, iron and steel items.

At what rate is the bilateral trade growing?

The trade has grown steadily in the past three years. From $3.876 billion in 2012, it grew to $4.019 in 2013 and $4.235 billion in 2014. Majority of trade comprises Indian exports, which stood at $4.118 billion in 2014. Kenyan exports to India have remained a little over $100 million since 2012. We are working to narrow the imbalance. Read more..