Kenya’s GDP grows at a faster rate in 2023—5.6%

With strong output in the agriculture sector, Kenya’s GDP expanded by 5.6% in 2023 compared to a revised 4.9% in the previous year, according to the head of the statistics office’s Monday statement.

The agricultural sector, which accounts for almost a fifth of the country’s yearly GDP, is the main driver of the East African economy. The industry recovered from two years of contractions thanks to heavy rains following years of drought.

“Last year it shot to 7% (growth),” the director general of the statistics office, Macdonald Obudho, stated at a press conference to introduce the report on economic growth for the period.

Another important industry, tourism, saw increase as well, according to Obudho, with 2.087 million tourists arriving last year, above the pre-pandemic norm of 2.035 million.