Nairobi, May 13 -- Kenya's exports earnings for goods sold to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) suffered their sharpest decline in years in 2025, knocking the Gulf nation from its position as Kenya's leading export destination outside the East African Community (EAC).

This came in the year Kenya signed a trade deal aimed at deepening access to the UAE.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows exports to the Gulf nation fell by Sh23.57 billion to Sh77.77 billion in 2025 from a record Sh101.34 billion the previous year.

The 23.26 percent drop saw the UAE lose its ranking as Kenya's top export market outside the EAC to the United States, whose imports from Kenya declined at a slower pace of 10.33 percent to Sh79.68 bill...