Kenya has recorded an increase in the number of international visitors arriving through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Moi International Airport (MIA) in the last eight months.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, from January to August 2023, the two airports received 971,326 visitors, compared to 741,254 visitors received in the same period last year. These figures exclude Kenyans arriving back home.
- The total number of visitors arriving through JKIA and MIA declined marginally from 158,100 people in July 2023 to 158,093 people in August 2023.
- In August, more than 16, 000 international passengers arrived through MIA, an over 100% spike in arrivals from the same month in 2022.
- The number of international passengers’ departures increased by 4.9 per cent from 291,369 in July 2023 to 305,735 in August 2023.
Since the beginning of the year, the country has hosted a number of high-profile dignitaries including the UK monarchs, and the Presidents of Iran, Indonesia, Romania, South Sudan, Sudan, Angola and others. Events such as the Climate Summit in September also brought in large delegations into the country.
Train Numbers Dip after Busy August
The Leading Economic Indicators Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) also shows Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) witnessed a substantial 26.1 per cent decrease in passenger numbers, declining from 278,929 in August 2023 to 206,090 in September 2023.
- This reduction in passengers led to a notable 23.3 per cent decrease in revenue from KSh 295.5 million in August 2023 to KSh 226.7 million in September 2023.
- The volume of cargo transported via SGR also saw a slight dip from 580,882 tonnes in August 2023 to 579,202 thousand tonnes in September 2023.
- Consequently, there was a 10.2 per cent drop in revenue from KSh 1,677.1 billion in August 2023 to KSh 1,506.3 billion in September 2023.
Despite the drop in the SGR’S passenger numbers and freight tonnage, and subsequently revenue, in September, the previous month had seen record-breaking numbers on all three measures.
The number of passengers using the Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) decreased from 330,927 in August 2023 to 314,523 in September 2023. This decline in passengers resulted in a decrease in revenue generated from MGR passenger traffic from KSh 18.62 million to KSh 17.18 million during the same period.
Port Numbers Dip
The volume of cargo handled at the port of Mombasa declined by 6.5 per cent from 2.955 million metric tonnes in August 2023 to 2.77 million metric tonnes in September 2023.
- Imports volume declined by 5.5 per cent from 2.363 million metric tonnes in August 2023 to 2.234 million in September 2023.
- March-April-May 2023 remain the only months of the year when the imports cargo handled at the port exceeded 3 million metric tonnes.
- Additionally, exports volumes reduced by 9.8 per cent from 421, 327 tonnes in August 2023 to 379, 990 tonnes in September 2023. In March, the port handled 481, 584 tonnes of export cargo.
Transshipment and restows also declined by 12.9 and 19.5 per cent respectively, during the same period.
SGR Revenue Rises to kes 15.2 Billion on Increased Demand – Kenyan Wallstreet
