Nairobi, March 28 -- The United Arabs Emirates has for the first time overtaken China to become the largest import source market for Kenya by value, reflecting the impact of the runaway cost of petroleum products.

Traders spent $972 million (Sh118.58 billion based on the official average exchange rate of 122 units at the time) on imports from the oil-rich country in the fourth quarter of 2022, provisional official statistics show, nearly double the $502 million in a similar quarter a year earlier.

The 93.63 percent jump came at a time families and companies paid record prices for fuel amid volatile global oil markets due to persistent supply chain constraints, exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kenya's imports from UAE are la...