KNBS report Stories

Kenya’s manufacturing growth slows despite increased borrowing
Lucy Mumbi  |  Oct 13, 2025

The sector’s real GDP expanded by one per cent compared to 3.2 per cent in the same period last year, even as loans to manufacturers rose by Sh17.2 bi...

Kenya’s trade deficit widens to Sh413.5 billion as imports outpace exports
Alfred Onyango  |  Oct 02, 2025

At the start of the year, the outlook had been positive, with the trade deficit narrowing by 2.7 per cent to Sh375.5 billion, down from Sh385.9 billio...

Kenya's economy grows 5 per cent in second quarter of 2025- KNBS
Alfred Onyango  |  Oct 01, 2025

The statistics body attributes the growth largely to robust performances in agriculture, forestry and fishing, which recorded a 4.4 per cent growth, t...

Inflation rises to 4.5 per cent in August, driven by food, transport prices
Alfred Onyango  |  Aug 29, 2025

On the other hand, notable increases were recorded for vegetables, with cabbage prices registering the highest rise at 6.3 per cent, followed by price...

11 per cent of Kenyans use mobile phones they do not own - survey
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Aug 13, 2025

At the county level, Nairobi City leads in mobile phone ownership at 67.7 per cent, followed by Kirinyaga at 65.0 per cent, Nyandarua at 63.9 per cent...

EAC to set up joint taskforce and offender database to curb SGBV, cross-border crimes
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Aug 07, 2025

The move follows resolutions made during the Second Joint Roundtable of Directors of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) and Inspectors General of Police from...

Payment of pending bills breathes new life into construction, manufacturing sectors
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 05, 2025

The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) said the revival of the road construction sector was having a positive effect on manufacturers who had su...

Kenya's inflation climbs to 4.1 per cent amid fluctuating food prices, fuel costs
Alfred Onyango  |  Aug 01, 2025

Data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows the increase was mainly driven by rise in prices of commodities in the three key categori...

KNBS launches year-long household survey covering 24,000 homes to guide national planning
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 22, 2025

The survey will gather information on income, health, education, employment, and living conditions to help shape government policy and track improveme...

KNBS under fire for ethnic imbalance in hiring as Senate demands recruitment records
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 15, 2025

Senators insisted that as a lead institution in national planning, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics must set a good example in ensuring fair an...

KIPPRA flags job creation as key concern despite Kenya’s economic growth
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 11, 2025

Kippra, in its assessment using the Africa Transformation Index (ATI), gave Kenya a score of 7.7 out of 30, placing it 22nd in the continental ranking...

Kenya launches new data plan to help tackle climate change and development issues
Alfred Onyango  |  Jul 09, 2025

At the centre of this effort is the Kenya Strategy for Development of Statistics (KSDS) II, a roadmap designed to streamline how data is collected, pr...

Fewer Kenyan women getting married, divorce rates on the rise - KNBS report
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 09, 2025

The Kenya Vital Statistics Report 2024, published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, reveals a significant shift in marital tren...

Kenya’s current account deficit surges to Sh66 billion - KNBS
Alfred Onyango  |  Jul 04, 2025

The latest figures by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show the country’s current account balance widened by 58 per cent, rising to Sh66...

Kenyan diaspora births surge 15 per cent to 5,694 amid population growth
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 04, 2025

The numbers reflect the growing trend of Kenyans relocating abroad for work, education, or family, driven by economic hardship and a State-supported l...

Kenya’s Q1 growth steady at 4.9 per cent despite service sector slowdown
Alfred Onyango  |  Jul 04, 2025

According to the latest quarterly GDP report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the plateau in growth is largely due to a slowdown in...

Uganda remains Kenya’s top export destination with Sh40.89 billion shipments in 2025
Abdirahman Khalif  |  Jul 02, 2025

Uganda has long been one of Kenya’s key trade partners, and the latest figures reaffirm the strength and continued significance of this economic relat...

Kenya’s imports drop for the first time in five years
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 01, 2025

Provisional figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show that the total value of imports between January and April fell to Sh882.1...

Inflation holds steady at 3.8 per cent in June despite price pressures
Alfred Onyango  |  Jul 01, 2025

Latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that while prices in key sectors such as food, housing, and transport rose, thei...

New push to rehabilitate street families as population census begins June 29
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jun 17, 2025

The 2018 census, jointly conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and UNICEF, revealed that 46,639 individuals were living on the s...

MPs slam KNBS, KIPPRA for wasting Sh300 million annually on rent while govt buildings lie idle
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 07, 2025

KNBS also incurred an additional Sh5.4 million in rent and rates expenses during the same period, up from Sh3.2 million in the previous financial year...

Lamu records highest increase in ID card applications as border regions see surge
Mary Wambui  |  May 10, 2025

While the survey does not explicitly state the reasons for the fluctuations, a rise in new ID applicants is often associated with population growth, m...

Kenya Power adds 134,630 rural users but sees first revenue dip since 2020
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 09, 2025

This drop in earnings from rural power use marks the first such decline since the financial year ending June 2020, when electricity sales dropped by S...

Kenya’s trade deficit narrows by Sh10bn in 2024 as export growth outpaces imports
Alfred Onyango  |  May 09, 2025

Earnings from re-exports grew by 77.3 per cent to Sh180.2 billion in 2024, primarily due to increased re-exports of kerosene-type jet fuel.

High interest rates, poor weather hold back Kenya’s economic progress
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 07, 2025

Even though large investments were made in the farming sector, its growth dropped to 4.4 percent in 2024 from 7.7 percent the previous year.

Kenya records sharp rise in drug busts, firearm recoveries decline - KNBS
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 07, 2025

The quantity of drugs seized has generally been rising since 2020, when 10,909 kilogrammes were recovered.

Nairobi records highest number of crimes as cases drop nationally- KNBS
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 07, 2025

The report shows that 9,717 crimes were reported in the Nairobi precinct, a decline from 11,108 in 2023. Kiambu and Meru Police Command Stations ranke...

Over 66,000 textile jobs at risk as AGOA trade deal nears expiry
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 07, 2025

This job growth marked a strong recovery after the sector lost over 8,200 jobs in 2023. Employment had dropped by 12.46 per cent from 66,260 in 2022 d...

Funding gap leaves over 300,000 students without HELB loans
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 07, 2025

According to KNBS, out of the 324,828 applicants who were not successful, 292,751 were students from public universities, 12,159 were from private uni...

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