In 2020-2021, thanks to its diversified economy, Kenya was relatively more resilient to the shock of the pandemic than other sub-Saharan African economies. But in 2022-2023, the recovery will be constrained by the indirect effects of the war in Ukraine and subject to significant downside risks. The country faces a deterioration in its terms of trade. Accelerating inflation will weigh on domestic demand, with the risk of fuelling social instability [...]
Significant uncertainty remains following the general elections in Kenya. Against a sensitive socio-economic backdrop, the first challenge for William Ruto, the new president, is the continuation of fiscal consolidation and public debt reduction measures. Although he rules out a preventive debt restructuring, the high level of sovereign risk requires a slowdown in the deterioration of public finances. The budget deficit averaged -7 [...]
Although Kenya was spared a recession in 2020, the Covid-19 shock exacerbated the country’s economic vulnerabilities. The risk of excessive public debt is especially high, and despite financial support provided by multilateral and bilateral creditors, budget management will remain a big challenge in the short and medium terms. The level and structure of the debt expose the government to solvency risk [...]
Kenya’s real GDP growth was subdued last year and it will come under stress in 2020 due to coronavirus outbreak effects. The lower GDP growth will further constrain the fiscal policy space whereas the country’s forex receipts are also weakened by adverse climatic conditions. While political rivalries continue to complicate the implementation of fiscal policy, failure to reduce budget deficits will challenge the sovereign’s debt solvency in the medium term [...]
The political appeasements along with several reforms to improve the business climate have allowed a macroeconomic recovery since 2018 in Kenya. However, the fiscal position remains weak: on one side, budget deficits have reached an average of 8% of GDP over the last five years; on the other side, debt interests have attained 21% of estimated revenues in 2018 against 13% in 2014 [...]
After the appeasement of political tensions in the aftermath of the presidential election rerun, the improved political environment has led to a stabilization of Kenya’s macroeconomic situation. The president's "Big Four" agenda for boosting growth and development spending will shape economic policy during the next five years. But the Kenyan sovereign still faces the serious challenges of fiscal consolidation and the high government debt level that weighs on investors’ appetite for risk [...]
The political tensions that flared up after Kenyatta’s re-election in the re-run of the presidential election have begun to ease recently. The appeasement of the political climate has been accompanied by improvements in several key economic indicators: growth has been showing signs of recovering, inflation has slowed down and external liquidity has strengthened. But the country’s financial stability is still fragile, notably due to the high level of government debt [...]
