Online businesses push for easier cross-border trade as new alliance takes shape

State department of ICT Trade Timothy Were, Go-beba co-founder Peter Ndiangui, GIZ Digital Trade Manager Jennifer Chiku and Kenya E-commerce Alliance (KECA) CEO Martin Muli at the launch of Kenya E-Commerce Alliance [David Gichuru,Standard]

Kenyan businesses selling goods online are pushing for fewer barriers to digital trade, as players in the sector seek a bigger role in shaping the policies and systems governing e-commerce.

The push comes with the launch of the Kenya E-Commerce Alliance (KECA), an industry body bringing together online businesses, marketplaces, logistics companies, payment providers and technology firms.

Rather than focusing solely on increasing online sales, the alliance says the bigger challenge is creating an environment where a transaction that begins on a digital platform can be completed smoothly, particularly when it involves customers in another African country.

The alliance was launched during the Digital Trade Congress 2026 in Nairobi, held under the theme “From Local to Global: Scaling Cross-Border Trade.”