Author: Korir Issa

Stanbic Holdings Plc closed 2025 with a net profit of KES 13.7 billion, matching its 2024 earnings while aggressively expanding its balance sheet through a year of significant Central Bank Rate cuts and global economic turbulence. Total assets climbed 18.9% to KES 541.3 billion, a signal that the Group’s three-year growth strategy is taking hold. Loans and advances to customers rose 18.5% to KES 272.9 billion, fuelled by a resurgent private sector, while customer deposits grew 17.5% to KES 373.7 billion. Holding the Line on Revenue Despite Rate Cuts The Central Bank of Kenya cut rates by a cumulative 225…

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) has sold its 54.08% controlling stake in Nation Media Group (NMG) to Taarifa Ltd, owned by Tanzanian billionaire Rostam Abdulrasul Azizi. The deal ends a six‑decade partnership with one of East Africa’s most influential media houses. Azizi, ranked by Forbes as Tanzania’s first dollar billionaire, now controls 92.6 million ordinary shares, cementing majority ownership of NMG. Despite the change in control, NMG shares will continue trading on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and remain cross‑listed in regional markets. Legacy of Independent Journalism Founded in 1959 when His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan…

Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has gazetted new licensing regulations that scrap the long-standing flat annual fee for fund managers and replace it with a variable charge tied directly to the size of assets under management (AUM).  The rules, published as Legal Notice 197 of 2025 on 11 December 2025, are already in force. How the new fee structure works Under the Sixth Schedule of the Capital Markets (Licensing Requirements)(General) Regulations, 2025, fund managers now pay an annual regulatory fee calculated as follows: Collective Investment Schemes(CIS): 0.05% of AUM, subject to a minimum of Ksh 100,000 and a maximum of…

Mozambique claimed the top spot in Standard Bank’s Africa Trade Barometer (ATB) for 2025, leaping from third place in August 2024 to first. Three quantitative factors drove the ascent: currency stability — the metical averaged 63.9 MZN per USD over three years — strong export performance as a share of GDP, and Foreign Direct Investment inflows ranked third among all ten surveyed markets, buoyed by the multi-billion-dollar Coral South and Coral Norte Floating LNG projects. Yet the headline ranking masks a deeply uncomfortable reality. In the Survey Trade Barometer, which captures what businesses actually experience on the ground, Mozambique ranked…

Kenya and Uganda have moved to calm fears of fuel shortages as escalating conflict in the Middle East disrupts global oil shipments and drives prices higher. Kenya Secures Imports Through April Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi confirmed Kenya has sufficient petroleum stocks to meet domestic demand and regional obligations. Scheduled imports are secured through April 2026 under the government‑to‑government framework, insulating the country from volatile spot markets. “Kenya has sufficient petroleum products to cover both the country and the region in the wake of the crisis in the Middle East,” Wandayi said. Uganda Highlights Alternative Supply Routes The…

Kenya’s annual inflation rate eased to 4.3% in February 2026, down from 4.4% in January. This marks a seven‑month low and keeps inflation within the Central Bank of Kenya’s preferred 5% target range. The decline was largely driven by lower fuel and energy costs. Food Prices Still Pressuring Households Despite the headline drop, households continue to feel the pinch of rising food costs. Staples such as Irish potatoes and cabbage recorded notable increases, while sukuma wiki (kale) rose by 2.4%. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) report highlighted food and non‑alcoholic beverages as the biggest driver, rising 7.3% year‑on‑year.…