These 17 things sum up Kenya’s economy in 2014
1. The economy grew by 5.3 per cent in 2014, compared to a growth of 5.7 per cent in 2013.
2. Kenyans sent a whopping 27.5 billion SMSes in 2014 an increase of 38.5 per cent from the previous year.
3. There were 102,606 newly registered motor vehicles compared to 94,017 units the previous year.
4. Tourism earnings declined from Sh94 billion to Sh87.1 billion over the same period, a drop by just under Sh7 billion. Factors that impacted the sector include security concerns , negative travel advisories and fear of spread of Ebola.
5. Cash deposits made via the mobile money agents reached Sh1.3 trillion in 2014 up from Sh1.03 trillion billion in 2013. The total transfers increased to Sh2.37 trillion up from Sh1.9 trillion in 2013.
6. Kenya used 5.2 million tonnes of cement in 2014.
7. Some 8.1 billion shares valued at Sh216 billion –compared to Sh156 billion in 2013- were traded at the Nairobi Securities Exchange in 2014.
8. Annual average inflation increased from 5.7 per cent in 2013 to 6.9 per cent in 2014.
9. The number of international visitor arrivals contracted by 11.1 per cent from 1.52 million in 2013 to 1.35 million in 2014.
10. Kenyans used 4.5 million tonnes of petroleum products in 12 months from four million tonnes in 2013.
11. The country’s electricity capacity now stands at 1,798.3 megawatts from 1,717.8 MW in 2013 mainly due to increased geothermal capacity.
12. The digital migration in the country added 36 digital Kenyan TV stations to the existing 14 analogue stations.
13. The number of registered medical personnel stands at 121,578 from 112,576 the previous year.
14. Currently, there are 29,460 primary schools in Kenya from 28,026 in 2013. The number of Secondary schools stands at 8,747 from 7,834 the previous year. Kenya now has 200,697 public Primary school teachers from 199,686 in 2013.
15. In 2014, the economy generated a total of 800,000 new jobs, in both the formal and informal. The informal sector accounted for 82.7 per cent of the total employment.
16. The total inmates population increased from 227,918 in 2013 to 248,390 in 2014.
17. There were 180,223 passports issued in 2014 compared to 148,940 in 2013. The number of new Identity Cards produced decreased to 740,078 in 2014 compared to 956,230 in 2013.