Nairobi, Feb. 15 -- Four countries; China, United Arab Emirates (UAE), India and Saudi Arabia accounted for half of Kenya's import bill last year.

Full-year trade data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that Kenya's import bill grew by four percent to Sh2.59 trillion, with the four countries swallowing Sh1.29 trillion- representing 50 percent of the total import expenditure.

The KNBS data reveals that non-food industrial supplies, fuel and lubricants, which come from the Middle East and other Asian countries, accounted for 60 percent of the import bill last year.

China, the primary source of Kenya's electronics and other household commodities, posted a one percent growth in exports to Kenya hitting a new r...