Kenya: President Ruto announces higher-than-expected growth of 5.6% in 2025
The largest economy of East Africa remains on track for sustained growth, despite persistent structural challenges that make it vulnerable to climate shocks and volatility in commodity prices and markets.
The Kenyan economy is expected to grow by 5.6% in 2025, despite higher US tariffs, a rate higher than recent forecasts by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, President William Ruto (photo) announced on Wednesday, August 20.
“GDP is expected to grow by 5.6% this year, despite global challenges related to escalating tariffs and trade disruptions affecting many economies,” Ruto said in a speech in Yokohama, Japan, at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9).
This new growth estimate is higher than the forecasts of the Ministry of Finance (5.3%) and the Central Bank (5.2%) from June 2025.
The Kenyan Ministry of Finance had then announced that the country was “on track for sustained economic growth,” despite the risks associated with the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump, market volatility, extreme weather conditions, and significant debt stocks.
In 2024, Kenya’s GDP growth slowed to 4.7% from 5.7% in 2023, mainly due to weaker performance in the construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors, according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
Maurice K. ZONGO
