Nairobi, Feb. 5 -- Copper waste and scrap is now Kenya's single largest export to China, marking a shift in the country's export structure following closure of titanium mines in Kwale and tighter controls on raw ore exports.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that Kenya exported copper waste and scrap worth Sh4.6 billion to China in the first nine months of 2025, surpassing the Sh3.24 billion shipments recorded for the whole of 2024.

The performance marked a rise from Sh1.18 billion in 2023 and Sh303.46 million in 2022, underscoring the rapid ascent of scrap copper as Kenya's dominant export commodity to the Asian manufacturing hub.

The surge has seen copper scrap eclipse agricultural exports such as tea and...