Kenya's wholesale and retail sector is experiencing a slowdown in job creation, primarily due to weak domestic production in manufacturing and agriculture, according to a report by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra). This decline, particularly noticeable post-2020, has raised concerns about the sector's overall contribution to the economy.

• Employment in the wholesale and retail trade sector, a major employer, has seen a post-2020 decline, leading to increased reliance on expensive imports.
• The Kippra report highlights that 80 percent of employment in the sector is informal, with formal job growth remaining stagnant over the past ten years.
• The sector's contribution to Kenya's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) dropped from 8.1 percent in 2020 to 7.5 percent in 2024.