Kenya’s economy has just been seen to surpass Ethiopia and Tanzania to become the largest in Eastern Africa according to the latest ranking by International Monetary Fund (IMF) figures.
The report that was published places Kenya’s nominal GDP at an impressive $131.67 billion, figures that have made economist to sit down and take note.
However, Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa has cautioned Kenyans not to get exited with the same numbers.
While in his statement on his X account weighing on the report, the senator highlighted that while the GDP ranking would have been lookt good on paper, it was necessarily not reflecting the everyday lifestyle of millions of Kenyans in their homes.
He emphasize emphasized that, economic growth must be felt by the people.
“A larger GDP does not automatically mean improved livelihoods, reduced inequality, or better access to basic services.” He noted.
The senator further drew kenyans attention by stressing that it’s entirely possible for a country to boast regional economic dominance while its citizens continue languishing in poverty with loss of jobs, citizens inability to afford basic need and underfunded public systems.
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He further noted that GDP per capita remained somewhat low, for the benefits said of the so-called growth were unevenly distributed across the country.
He added that much of the expansion that had been propped up by debt-financed infrastructure projects and sectors were yet to create prosperity amongst kenyans.
“It’s not enough to be the biggest economy, we must also be the fairest, the most efficient, and the most accountable.” Karugo said
In his statement he also noted that Kenya must shift focus from merely growing the size of the economy to ensuring that growth is sustainable, inclusive, and capable of directly improving the quality of life for the ordinary citizens.
He concluded by saying that kenyans should measure their success not just by numbers in international reports, but by how many lives are uplift here at home.
Kenyans should be reminded that while global rankings and statistics matter, they don’t tell the whole story and the real progress on the general public.
