Nairobi, Aug. 17 -- Kenya's trade deficit in goods climbed towards a record Sh1 trillion mark in the first six months of 2026, after an increase in the cost fuel imports widened the gap between export earnings and the import bill.

The gap between exports and imports widened by 27.3 percent to Sh998.2 billion in the six months to June 2026, from Sh783.9 billion in the corresponding period last year, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics says.

This was the fastest annual widening of Kenya's first-half merchandise trade deficit in four years, since the 30.7 percent recorded in 2022.

The trade deficit had remained relatively stable at Sh755 billion to Sh784 billion in the first half of every year between 2023 and 2025, the data shows.

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