President William Ruto, India's President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narenda Modi. [File, Standard]
India (Bharat) and Kenya are tied at the hip through history and, lately, economics. India is also closer geographically, making it a potential key trade and investment partner. We trade more with countries closer to us and bigger, says the gravity theory of trade.
Bharat is the official Sanskrit and Hindi name for the Republic of India.
The partnership on the economic front is supported by data. India High Commission to Kenya notes, “India is Kenya’s third largest trading partner with bilateral trade of $4.31 billion (Sh560 billion) for the financial year 2025-26. Indian exports to Kenya amounted to $4.01 billion (Sh521.3 billion), while imports from Kenya to India were $290 million (Sh37.7 billion).” Never mind the trade imbalance.
The missing link is that Kenya has not fully leveraged Indian proximity and economic power.
There are good reasons why we need to focus more on India despite the fact that she does not have the same publicity as other economic powers.
India is a low-lying but ripe economic fruit. Read on and economically salivate.