Kenya Overtakes Ethiopia as East Africa's Largest Economy

Fresh IMF estimates place Kenya's GDP at $151 billion, surpassing Ethiopia's $127 billion and ending five years of trailing in East Africa. The change largely reflects Ethiopia's birr depreciation after IMF-tied reforms, even as Ethiopia grew 9.2 percent in real terms last year compared to Kenya's 4.6 percent.

Officials like Treasury Secretary John Mbadi hailed it as a milestone, while others caution that high living costs and job scarcity mean ordinary Kenyans aren't feeling richer yet.