Kenyan companies raise output following increased demand in the last quarter of 2017

Youth escape from teargas during a demonstration in Nairobi last year; prolonged political activities affected most Kenyan businesses in 2017

NAIROBI, KENYA: Business confidence rose in December 2017 as the political situation in the country stabilised, the latest purchasing managers index (PMI) shows.

PMI, one of the widely accepted barometers for the health of the private sector, went up to 53 after a charged political season that saw the reading plunge to a low of 34.4 in October.