Kenya is buying more wheat from Russia than ever before, underscoring Moscow's growing influence over Africa's food supply chains at a time when many countries are grappling with inflation, food security concerns, and rising import bills.
Russian wheat exports to Kenya rose 10% year-on-year during the first five months of the 2025/26 agricultural season, reaching approximately 1.4 million tonnes by late May, according to Russia's agricultural export agency, Agroexport.
The figure has already surpassed the 1.3 million tonnes shipped during the entire previous season and is second only to the record 1.7 million tonnes exported to Kenya in the 2023/24 season.
The increase highlights Kenya's growing reliance on Russian grain as the East African nation seeks to meet domestic demand for wheat, a key ingredient in bread, pasta, and other staple foods. Agroexport said Kenya now accounts for about 7% of Russia's grain exports to Africa, making it one of Moscow's most important agricultural markets on the continent.
The development comes amid a broader expansion of Russia's agricultural trade across Africa. According to Agroexport adviser Alexander Yakuba, the value of Russia's exports of finished agricultural products to African countries has more than doubled over the past five years.
