IMF chief Lagarde to visit Kenya

The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde is scheduled to visit Kenya from Jan 5-8 and meet the country's policymakers and private sector leaders, it was revealed Thursday.

"I am very much looking forward to my visit to underline the Fund's strong partnership with Kenya, one of the most dynamic economies in a region that has been a bright spot in the global economy," reported Xinhua citing Lagarde in a statement released ahead of her trip.

"Kenya has emerged as one of Africa's 'frontier economies', and I am very interested in learning how the country's leaders and people will build on this success moving forward," she said.

In Nairobi, Lagarde will hold meetings with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and members of his cabinet. She will also talk with parliamentarians, women leaders, and civil society, and deliver a speech to private sector leaders, said the Washington-based institution.

East Africa's biggest economy is forecast to grow 6.2 percent in 2014, a pickup from 5.9 percent in 2013, according to the IMF's most recent projections.