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Kenya's economy grows by 5.8 pct in 2016

Xinhua, April 19, 2017 Adjust font size:

Kenya's economy grew by 5.8 percent in 2016, slightly up from 5.7 percent in 2015 buoyed by tourism and ICT sectors, the national statistics bureau said on Wednesday.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) announced in the annual Economic Survey 2017 released in Nairobi that tourism was the best performer as international arrivals went up by 13.5 percent to 1.34 million in 2016 from 1.18 million in 2015.

According to the Economic Survey, revenue from the tourism sector went up by 17.8 percent to 9.97 million U.S. dollars in 2016 from 8.46 billion dollars in 2015.

Information Communication and Technology was also a major driver of the economy growing at 9.7 percent in 2016 compared to 7.4 percent growth in 2015.

KNBS Director-General Zachary Mwangi attributed the economic growth to the level of growth recorded in key economic sectors including mining, which recorded a 6.3 percent growth in mineral output from 1.6 million tonnes to 1.7 million tonnes and increased earnings from the tourism sector.

"The other sectors that registered significant improved performance in economic activity were the ICT sectors, the real estate, transport and storage," said Mwangi, reviewing activities in diverse sectors of the economy and the social and political environment.

According to the survey, the overall economic output, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has shot to 70.5 billion dollars in 2016 from 63.7 billion in 2015 due to the growth in the mining sector, the real estate and infrastructure projects under implementation. Enditem