This archive report was first published on 3 January 2022.
Kenya's import expenditure rose significantly in the third quarter of 2021, with a 29 percent increase, according to data from the National Treasury.
Asia emerged as the largest contributor to this expenditure, accounting for Sh346 billion of the total bill, with China being the highest contributor at 31.6 percent.
Europe came in second, with a contribution of Sh97 billion, followed by Africa and America at Sh59.2 billion and Sh33.6 billion respectively.
Notably, Africa reported a 30.3 percent increase in imports from the third quarter of 2020, largely due to increased imports from Tanzania, which rose from Sh8.8 billion.
Additionally, imports from Australia presented a five-fold increase, primarily driven by the rise in imports of grain sorghum, wheat, and meslin.
On the export front, the total value of earnings improved by 7.5 percent compared to the third quarter of 2020, with the largest portion of revenue coming from the African continent.
Earnings from Africa were boosted by significant increases in exports to Ethiopia and Tanzania, with exports to Uganda and South Sudan experiencing declines of 12.7 percent and 37.5 percent respectively.
Export earnings from the European Union marginally rose by Sh0.7 billion, while exports to Asia recorded a slight increase of 3.3 percent, and the value of exports to the United States of America rose by 31.2 percent.
