Kenya is stepping into a new era of sustainable economic development with the launch of an ambitious bio-economy initiative that could reshape the country’s industrial landscape and position it as a continental leader in green innovation. The Advancing Bio-economy Development in Kenya (ABDK) project, spearheaded by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in collaboration with the […]

Telecommunications giant Safaricom has announced a strategic pivot towards supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as part of its ambitious plan to increase its contribution to Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP) beyond eight percent. This shift represents a significant evolution for the company, which has transformed from a traditional telecommunications business into a comprehensive […]

For the first time in 23 years, the total value of assets held by Kenya’s commercial banks declined, falling 1.6% in 2024 to Sh7.6 trillion, marking a significant reversal in a sector that had experienced continuous growth since 2002 when assets rose 4.9% to Sh456.7 billion. The Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) linked the latest decline […]

Officials argue that speculative real estate projects are exploiting the SEZ programme, potentially undermining its primary purpose of fostering industrial and service growth. Comprehensive Framework Overhaul Targets Abuse The Kenyan government has unveiled comprehensive plans to review the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) framework by eliminating tax and housing incentives from developers constructing projects not directly […]

Global credit ratings agency S&P Global Ratings upgraded Kenya’s long-term sovereign credit rating to ‘B’ from ‘B-‘ on Friday, citing reduced near-term external liquidity risks and improved economic management. The upgrade represents a significant vote of confidence in Kenya’s economic trajectory under President William Ruto’s administration, marking a recovery from the previous year’s downgrade. The […]

Substantial Interest Rate Reduction Expected The proposed currency conversion could deliver significant financial relief to Kenya’s strained public finances. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi revealed that converting the loan from US dollars to Chinese yuan could reduce interest rates from 6.37 percent to approximately 3 percent, representing a dramatic halving of debt servicing costs. “The […]

Executive Summary Kenya’s economic growth this year is expected to exceed official forecasts despite higher U.S. tariffs and other challenges, President William Ruto announced at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, where Kenya and Japan also signed a strategically significant yen-denominated loan agreement. The East African nation’s economy is forecast to […]

Kenya has stepped up efforts to strengthen its trade and investment relations with the United States, as a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry commenced a three-day working tour in Washington D.C. The delegation is led by Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui and Principal Secretary for Trade Regina Ombam, with the mission […]

The cooperation between Kenya and the United Arab Emirates has reached unprecedented heights with the signing of the landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in January 2025, setting the stage for the highly anticipated visit of UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan scheduled before December 2025. This transformative partnership has already propelled bilateral […]

Japan is looking to Africa for its next big trade move, and Kenya is right at the center of an ambitious plan that could reshape economic relations between Asia and Africa. In what represents a potential game-changer for continental trade dynamics, Tokyo is preparing to launch negotiations for a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with […]