Kenya’s total value of exports to East African Community (EAC) member states between April and June this year has risen from Ksh 56.3 billion reported last year to Ksh 66.3 billon.
Latest data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) attributes the 17.8pc regional exports growth to higher orders from Uganda which continues to be the country’s largest export destination.
During the period under review, exports to Uganda rose from Ksh 24 billion to reach Ksh 31.7 billion.
“Uganda remained to be the single major destination of Kenya’s exports, partly on account of increased domestic exports of cement clinkers, grain sorghum, salt, and lubricants in liquid form,” said KNBS.
Tanzania which is the country’s second largest export market in the region imported Kenyan goods valued at Ksh 15.6 billion compared to Ksh 12.9 billion reported last year.
Exports to Rwanda rose marginally, from Ksh 10.8 billion last year to Ksh 10.6 billon while those from Burundi increased to Ksh 2 billion to Ksh 2.7 billion.
South Sudan saw its orders from Kenya rise to Ksh 7.4 billion from Ksh 6.4 billion as those destined to its northern neighbour declined by more than half from Ksh 1.8 billion reported last year due to the ongoing political crisis.
“There was a drop in exports to Sudan by 59.7pc to Ksh 712 million largely attributable to the disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of the military government of Sudan,” noted the statistics bureau.
During the period under review, exports to the Democratic Republic of Congo rose to Ksh 5.7 billion from Ksh 4.3 billion.
However, imports from the region declined by Ksh 2.2 billion to reach Ksh 24.2 billion from Ksh 26.4 billon reported over the same period last year.
The 8.3pc drop in regional imports could be attributed to a sharp decline in the value of orders from Tanzania as imports dropped from Ksh 15.5 billion last year to Ksh 10.8 billon.
However imports from Uganda increased to Ksh 11.1 billion from Ksh 10 billion last year while those from Rwanda rose to Ksh 1.4 billion from Ksh 906.7 million.
