This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
Kenya's economy grew by 5.6 percent in the second quarter of 2019, down from 6.4 percent in the same period a year earlier, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The decline in agriculture, which accounts for close to a third of economic output, was attributed to delayed rainfall in the second quarter, which affected the key farming sector.
Manufacturing and transport sectors also decelerated, with the Markit Stanbic Bank Kenya Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing and services falling to 52.9 from 54.1 in July.
Despite the slowdown, the cost of living measure dropped to an 18-month low in September due to lower prices of food, with prices of commodities such as tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, onions, Irish potatoes, and sugar all easing.
According to the KNBS, inflation fell to 3.83 percent in September, from 5.0 percent a month earlier, and is within the government's target range of between 2.5 percent and 7.5 percent.
Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge maintained a full-year growth forecast of six percent, citing robust bookings in the tourism sector, but the bank will review its forecast after the release of the second quarter data.
