China Now Supplies a Quarter of Kenya’s Imports
China supplied 25.3% of Kenya's imports in the first five months of 2026, a record. The explanation being offered for it does not survive the dates. The post China Now Supplies a Quarter of Kenya’s Imports appeared first on The Rio Times .
Kenya's import bill from China reached a record 25.3% of all imports between January and May 2026, reaching Sh336.2bn, or about US$2.60bn. This represents a 34.7% increase compared to the same period in 2025. The surge in imports to China is primarily driven by fuel, with petroleum products and lubricants reaching Sh122.3bn in May alone, comprising 37.4% of that month's imports.
Despite the share of Chinese imports growing steadily from 16.6% in 2023 to 25.3% in the first five months of 2026, this is not primarily due to Chinese-built mega-projects such as highways or stadiums. Rather, the increase is largely attributed to fuel imports and stockpiling, rather than construction-related activity.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
