Kenya’s meat export industry is facing one of its most difficult trading periods in recent memory, with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East bringing Gulf bound shipments to a near standstill during what is traditionally the sector’s most lucrative season.
The Middle East is Kenya’s primary market for meat exports, with the UAE alone typically accounting for between 40% and 60% of total shipments. However, the ongoing war has reduced exports to below 5% of expected Ramadan levels, as a sharp rise in air freight costs has effectively grounded shipments.
Kenya generates around $2.3 million weekly from meat and animal product exports to the region. That revenue stream has been severely disrupted.
Nicholas Ngahu, Chief Executive of the Kenya Meat and Livestock Exporters Industry Council, noted that daily shipment volumes, which would normally reach 200 metric tons during Ramadan, had fallen to between just 5 and 15 tons per day. Since March 8, exports should have totaled approximately one million kilograms but industry figures show less than 50,000 kilograms were actually moved.
The spike in freight rates has compounded the crisis. Cargo rates that previously ranged from $1.00 to $1.50 per kilogram have surged to between $3.00 and $3.50 per kilogram, with airlines citing higher war-risk insurance costs as the primary driver. Most carriers serving the region have reduced operations, pushing exporters toward expensive chartered cargo flights into the UAE.
The operational disruptions have been equally costly. One consignment of approximately 20 tons destined for Sharjah was turned back on February 28 when airspace closed, leaving the clearing agency with a $5,000 bill covering handling, storage, and cold-room charges.
Beyond meat, the broader Kenyan export sector is feeling the strain. Shipping vessels originally bound for the Middle East are diverting cargo to alternative ports, while charter fees for vessels have reportedly quadrupled. Exporters of tea and coffee are also scrambling to identify alternative markets amid the disruption.
The crisis has laid bare the structural vulnerability of Kenya’s meat export sector its heavy dependence on a single regional market means that geopolitical instability thousands of kilometres away can rapidly paralyze an entire domestic supply chain, leaving producers, logistics firms, and workers exposed with limited fallback options.
