• President Ruto projected 5.6% growth for 2025, higher than the Finance Ministry’s 5.3% and Central Bank’s 5.2% forecasts.
• Kenya’s GDP slowed to 4.7% in 2024, down from 5.7% in 2023, due to weaker output in construction, mining, and agriculture.
• Ruto said the new outlook shows resilience “despite global difficulties” such as tariffs and trade disruptions.

Despite structural hurdles that leave it vulnerable to climate shocks and volatile commodity prices, Kenya—the largest economy in East Africa—continues its steady growth.

On August 20, President William Ruto announced that Kenya’s economy is expected to expand by 5.6% in 2025, outpacing earlier projections by financial authorities. Speaking at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) in Japan, he noted that the country has achieved this outlook even as rising tariffs and global trade disruptions slow growth elsewhere.

Kenya Investment Forum, Yokohama, Japan https://t.co/bh3ddqESo1

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) August 20, 2025

This updated growth forecast surpasses the June 2025 projections by the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank, which stood at 5.3% and 5.2%, respectively. Back then, Kenya’s Ministry of Finance described the country as “on the path to sustained economic growth,” despite challenges from the U.S.-initiated trade war, market fluctuations, severe weather events, and rising debt. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kenya’s GDP growth slowed to 4.7% in 2024 from 5.7% in 2023, largely due to weaker activity in construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

Walid Kéfi