Kenya's Economy Grows by 5.6% in 2023, Driven by Agriculture and Tourism Recovery

Kenya's economic growth accelerated to 5.6% in 2023, an increase from the revised 4.9% growth in the previous year, according to Macdonald Obudho, the head of the statistics office.

This robust growth was primarily driven by a strong performance in the agriculture sector. The East African nation's economy, heavily reliant on farming, benefited significantly from abundant rains following years of drought. This helped the agriculture sector recover from contractions experienced in the past two years. Obudho noted that the previous year had seen a remarkable growth rate of 7%.

In addition to agriculture, the tourism sector also contributed to the economic upturn. Visitor arrivals surpassed the annual pre-pandemic level, reaching 2.087 million visitors in 2023, compared to 2.035 million visitors previously.

The resilience and recovery of these key sectors have been crucial in bolstering Kenya's overall economic performance.