Kenya's economy expanded by 5.6 percent in full year 2015

Kenya's economy grew by 5.6 percent last year, slightly faster than the 5.3 percent growth recorded in 2014, helped by swifter expansion in agriculture, the statistics office said on Tuesday.

Agriculture, which contributes nearly a quarter of Kenya's economic output, grew 5.6 percent in 2015 from 3.5 percent the previous year, Zachary Mwangi, the director general of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, told a news briefing.

"This was partly influenced by abundant rainfall characterised by the el Nino weather phenomenon," he said.

Kenya relies heavily on exports of tea and coffee, as well horticultural produce, such as cut flowers.

Several other economic sectors also expanded except tourism, which continued to bear the brunt of worries about security after a spate of attacks in the past two years or more by Islamist militants, Mwangi said.

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Visitors dropped 12.6 percent to 1.35 million during the year while earnings edged down 2.9 percent to Sh84.6 billion.