International trade moved from Foreign ministry

What you need to know:

  • The new changes mean that the Foreign Ministry under Dr Monica Juma will no longer be handling international trade issues.

  • Under the new arrangement, Dr Juma’s docket will be mainly to play Kenya’s diplomacy and manage its relations with other countries and non-state actors like the UN.

  • However, Dr Juma will still handle the co-ordination of relations with international trade bodies like the World Trade Organisation and the UN agencies.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has handed all matters of international trade to the Ministry of Industrialisation, buttressing the docket for Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed, but potentially reducing areas of turf wars between departments.

In the new Executive Order 1 for 2018, the President transferred the Department of International Trade headed by PS Chris Kiptoo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to that of Industrialisation, Trade and Co-operatives.

The President said the new directive “supersedes the Executive Order No 1” of 2016 to rearrange government departments and ministries.

NON-STATE ACTORS

The new changes mean that the Foreign Ministry under Dr Monica Juma will no longer be handling international trade issues. Under the new arrangement, Dr Juma’s docket will be mainly to play Kenya’s diplomacy and manage its relations with other countries and non-state actors like the UN.

However, Dr Juma will still handle the co-ordination of relations with international trade bodies like the World Trade Organisation and the UN agencies.

The Industrialisation Ministry, which has had two PSs until now had been mainly dealing with combating counterfeits, building condusive business environment, registration of intellectual property rights as well as co-ordination of investment policy.

TURF WARS

The addition of the international trade docket means Mr Mohammed, a former banker, will be charged with enforcing international trade agreements signed by Kenya, negotiating new agreements and liasing with international trade bodies for national development.

The placement of trade docket under Mr Mohammed could ease some perceived turf wars between the two ministries. When Kenya hosted UNCTAD and World Trade Organisation conferences three years ago, there were cold wars between the two on who should play leading role. The then Foreign and International Trade Ministry took charge of both.

DEPARTMENTS

It is not clear whether there would be set boundaries between the Foreign Ministry and that of Trade when it comes to engaging with these international bodies.

The new framework has also moved or consolidated various departments in the 21 ministries. For example, Wildlife which used to be under Environment ministry has been moved to Tourism. Sanitation which used to be under Health is now under Water ministry. The latter itself was initially a department under Environment before it was hived off to create a ministry.

BIG FOUR

In addition, the President has confirmed Transport and Infrastructure Ministry under James Macharia as the one likely to implement one of the Big Four projects on affordable Housing. Initially under Land ministry, Housing and Urban Planning will be under Infrastructure.

In the new structure, the President says the Ministry of East African Community will be dealing with implementation of the EAC treaties as well as projects under the Northern Corridor.

However, it is not clear whether it is Peter Munya who should continue to negotiates the EPAs agreements with the EU (and EAC member countries) or Mr Mohammed.