Kenya announces a 5.6pc growth in 2015 GDP

Kenya's economy grew by 5.6 per cent in the year 2015 from 5.3 per cent in 2014 helped by expansion in agriculture, construction and real estate sectors, the government has announced.

The manufacturing sector jumped 3.5 per cent raising its share of GDP to 10.3 per cent driven by lower energy prices.

Tourism earnings for 2015 were down by 3 per cent to Sh84.6bn as international visitor arrivals dropped 12 per cent to 1.18m.

Uganda's economy grew by 5.2 per cent with Tanzania's soaring by 6.9 per cent as Rwanda's vibrated by 6.5 per cent. Burundi whose economy is in recession cooled 7 per cent. The region is the fastest growing in Africa due to little to exposure to commodities market.

The number of jobs created under the Jubilee administration grew marginally by 5 per cent to 841,600, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.