A view shows the Nairobi Expressway undertaken by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, in Nairobi, Kenya May 8, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo

NAIROBI, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Kenya’s private sector activity expanded very slightly in December, with growth slowing a little from a month earlier but remaining supported by increased customer sales, a survey showed on Monday.

The Stanbic Bank Kenya Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dipped to 50.6 in December from 50.9 a month earlier. Readings above 50.0 signal an expansion in activity.

“Positively, this is the first quarter of expansion in output since (the fourth quarter of 2021), suggesting that the private sector is showing signs of turning around with new orders and employment also in expansionary territory,” said Christopher Legilisho, an economist at Stanbic Bank.

The economy is estimated to have grown 5.2% in 2024 and projected to expand 5.4% in 2025, the finance ministry says. The economy grew 5.6% in 2023.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Hugh Lawson)