Kenya’s trade hits pre-COVID-19 levels

Kenya’s imports and exports have surged to hit pre-COVID-19 levels as countries open their borders boosting international trade, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) said in a new report released on Friday.

The report shows that the east African nation imports currently average 161 billion shillings ($1.5 billion) a month, which is the level the imports stood in January 2020, before the outbreak of COVID-19 in Kenya in March. Similarly, monthly exports average $447 million, a level they stood before the pandemic.

In May, Kenya’s imports fell to a low of $991 million amid tough restriction of international trade and movement of people.

Most of the imports come from China, followed by India and United Arab Emirates. South Africa, Britain and United States are Kenya’s other sources of imports that include oil and lubricants, manufactured goods and machinery.

Total imports in 2020 stood at $15 billion, down from $17 billion in 2019.

On the other hand, despite the pandemic, exports rose in 2020 to stand at $5.9 billion, up from $5.4 billion.

Source: GNA