How Jubilee can make 2016 year of big change

NAIROBI: The economic numbers coming out of the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) added to the holiday season cheer. The economy grew by about 5.8 per cent in the third quarter. The construction sector was the main driver of growth, expanding by 14.1 per cent.

Agriculture was second, growing by just over 7 per cent. Although a significant proportion of the increase in construction is driven by large government infrastructure projects, it is an encouraging signal. Also encouraging is the robust growth in the agricultural sector. Improving on these growth rates should be the priority of the government in 2016. An example of a policy tool that the government could use is a deliberate urbanisation programme.