Construction, Electricity supply, and Transportation and Storage Sectors in Kenya recorded drops in growth in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
KNBS revealed the drops in the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Report released on Wednesday, July 4.
The bureau, in the report, noted that in the first quarter of 2024, the Transportation & Storage sector’s real GDP in overall registered an estimated decelerated growth of 3.8% on average.
In the sector, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was among the most hit sectors having recorded a 65,000 passenger drop and reduced cargo volumes in the period.
This, according to the Bureau, is in comparison to a 6.6 per cent growth recorded in the same quarter of 2023.
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According to KNBS, the SGR was among the most hit in the sector, with the number of passengers transported via the railway recording an 11.0 per cent decline.
SGR Among Most Hit in Transportation Sector
The number of passengers declined from 597.5 thousand in the first quarter of 2023 to 531.7 thousand in the first quarter of 2024.
“Similarly, the freight haulage via SGR declined by 17.4 per cent from 1,577.9 thousand metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2023 to 1,303.3 thousand metric tonnes in the period under review,” KNBS said in the report.
On the other hand, revenue generated from freight stream rose marginally from Ksh3,140.0 million in the first quarter of 2023 to Ksh3,244.7 million in the corresponding quarter of 2024.
Import of light diesel also decreased by 4.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023 to stand at 494.5 million liters.
The Transport and Storage sector, however, recorded growth in other sub-sectors according to KNBS.
Mombasa Port throughput rose by 7.3 per cent from 8,792 thousand metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2023 to 9,430 thousand metric tonnes in the period under review.
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In aviation, the number of international passenger arrivals and departures handled rose by 14.7 per cent from 1,513.8 thousand passengers in the first quarter of 2023.
“The total number of passengers handled at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the first quarter of 2024 was 2,051.4 thousand, while Moi International Airport recorded 402.4 thousand,” said KNBS.
At the same time, the Bureau noted that the volume of petroleum products transported via pipeline rose by 8.7 per cent.
Construction Record Drop in Growth-KNBS
The construction sector also recorded a downfall growth with KNBS noting that the sector registered a decelerated growth of 0.1 per cent in the period under review.
This was down from the 3.0 per cent growth recorded in the first quarter of 2023.
In the sector, cement consumption declined by 12.7 per cent to stand at 1,949.9 thousand metric tonnes from 2.234.2 thousand metric tonnes in the corresponding period of 2023.
The quantity of imported bitumen also decreased from 25,482.6 metric tonnes recorded in the first quarter of 2023 to 17,237.8 metric tonnes in the period under review.
However, the quantity of iron and steel imports, rose to 230,800.6 metric tonnes during the quarter under review from 198,925.7 metric tonnes.
Electricity & Water Supply
Another sector that recorded drop in growth was the Electricity and Water Supply sector which recorded a decelerated growth of 2.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2024.
This is compared to a growth of 3.7 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2023, according to KNBS.
“The sector’s growth was supported by an increase in hydroelectric power generation and a decrease in thermal power generation. Hydroelectric generation increased significantly from 424.1 million kWh in the first quarter of 2023 to 807.3 million kWh in the current quarter due to ample rainfall in the first quarter of 2024,” the report notes.
Total electricity generated increased by 1.1 per cent from 3,023.4-million-kilowatt hour (KWh) in the first quarter of 2023 to 3,057,4 million KWh in the same quarter of 2024.
All electricity sources recorded a decline in their generation except for hydropower, with Total electricity sales recording a growth of 2.6 per cent during the period under review.
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