For Kenya, the arrangement has been transformative. More than ** per cent of its exports to the US are apparel, much of it stitched in Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and destined for renowned brands such as Calvin Klein, H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, etc.
However, in recent months, uncertainty cast a long shadow over the factory floors from Nairobi to Mombasa. As questions swirled over whether AGOA would be renewed, investors began to pull back. Media reports spoke of scaled-down operations, frozen hiring and workers shifted to short-term contracts.