The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) improved in January, Kenya's private sector economy moved closer to growth territory during this period. Business activity and new order volumes dropped only fractionally, while firms expanded their workforce numbers for the first time in five months. Readings above 50.0 signal an improvement in business conditions on the previous month, while readings below 50.0 show a deterioration. The headline PMI rose to a five-month high of 49.8 in January, up from 48.8