Kenya private sector activity at five-month high in Oct -PMI

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's private sector activity grew faster in October, partly helped by the government easing some restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, a survey showed on Wednesday.

In late October, President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted a night-time curfew that had been in place since March 2020, a move that was expected to spur economic activity.

The Markit Stanbic Bank Kenya Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 51.4 in October from 50.4 a month earlier. The 50.0 mark separates growth from a contraction in activity.

"Business activity expanded at the fastest pace in the past five months driven by higher demand and output. The improvement in domestic demand was driven by increased client spending primarily in wholesale and retail trade," said Kuria Kamau, Fixed Income and Currency Strategist at Stanbic Bank.

The finance ministry forecasts an economic growth rate of 6% this year compared with a 0.3% contraction https://www.reuters.com/article/kenya-economy-idUSL1N2QB0KN in 2020.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Catherine Evans)