Link to article- https://allafrica.com/stories/202102260229.html
Members of Kenya’s Parliament have refused to sign on a trade agreement with the UK based on accusations that officials have been sneaking in documents that had not been seen before. This agreement is known as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and lawmakers are saying that they will not ratify the agreement until they are presented with all the details. The committee’s chairman, Aden Haji, discovered these details in the proposal that had not originally been presented and this raised questions and concerns among the other lawmakers of Parliament. Until these new documents are explained, Kenya does not plan to ratify the agreement, and without ratification the agreement will not take effect.
Kenya exports a lot of goods to the UK, but the imports from the UK have dropped in recent years. Overall, I believe that this agreement would benefit Kenya because their exports would just continue to grow. However, what is concerning is the decline in imports from the UK, but this could be easily explained by just a lack of necessity for the certain goods they have to offer. It is definitely important that these undisclosed documents are explained in order for the agreement to go through and for each country to benefit. It is unusual that the documents had not been seen before in earlier meetings of Parliament.
In connection to class, the liberal theory describes the situation between Kenya and the UK best; more specifically, the focus on trade pillar of liberalism. Kenya’s top export in agriculture and they are a market-based economy with a liberalized external trade system. The UK is one of Kenya’s most important export locations and they provide 27% of their produce imports and 56% of their black tea market. In return, the UK provides Kenya with motor vehicles, machinery, and printed materials. They have a bilateral relationship that is mutually beneficial, with the understanding that they will not stir up conflict with each other.