NAIROBI, June 6 (Reuters) – Kenya’s central bank is sticking to its 5.7% economic growth forecast for this year despite recent floods, its governor said on Thursday.

“Despite the recent flooding in some parts of the country, the economy is expected to remain strong in 2024 supported by the resilient services sector and robust performance of the agricultural sector,” Governor Kamau Thugge told a news conference.

Thugge added that the East African economy was estimated to have grown 5.8% in the first quarter of this year. Last year the economy grew 5.6%.

On Wednesday the central bank held its benchmark lending rate KECBIR=ECI at 13.0%, saying its current stance would ensure that inflation remained stable around the mid-point of its target range in the near term.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Alexander Winning)