Author: David Indeje

Kenya on Monday extended its 9pm to 4am nationwide curfew for another 30 days and banned the sale of alcohol in restaurants and eateries across the country as a containment measure to curb the spread of COVID-19. “Kufunga nchi haitasiadia (closing the country won’t help) the government cannot be on the door of every Kenyan, the responsibility is ours,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said during his Tenth Presidential address on COVID-19 situation in the country. “There shall be no sale of alcoholic drinks in eateries, restaurants across the territory of the Kenya effective Monday midnight for 30 days,” said President Kenyatta.…

International flights, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Qatar Airways and Air France have announced the resumption of passenger services through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)  in August. This follows the eased restrictions on air travel. The flights have remained suspended for over four months now in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. British Airways says it will operate 4 weekly flights on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday commencing August 1st. Qatar Airways will resume operations with 14 weekly flights, but subject to regulatory approval, while KLM will begin with 4 flights beginning August 3rd. On the other hand, Air…

The Kenyan shilling weakened by 0.5 percent to 108.0 against the dollar from Kshs 107.5, recorded the previous week. This was largely attributed to increased demand for hard currencies by importers who are resuming business after the easing of the pandemic restrictions. “The Kenya Shilling weakened against major international and regional currencies during the week ending July 23, on account of increased demand for dollars in the interbank market,” said the Central Bank of Kenya. The Central Bank’s level of forex reserve remains adequate to support the shilling currently at USD 9,421 million (5.72 months of import cover) as at…

Nigeria’s biggest lender Access Bank Plc has completed the 100 percent acquisition of Transnational Bank Ltd. This follows the fulfillment of all regulatory approvals and conditions precedent to completion.  The Nigerian lender announced its intention on October 28th, 2019. Through a corporate disclosure on the Nigerian Stock Exchange Access bank said, “The Bank’s vision is to be the World’s Most Respected African Bank and our entry into the Kenyan market, a gateway in East Africa, not only brings us closer to that vision but enables our customers to tap into our extensive global network that translates into immense business opportunities,…

Kenya’s current account deficit narrowed to 5.0 percent in the 12 months to June from 5.2 percent in May, attributed to lower oil imports and improvement in exports of tea, horticulture and remittances. The Central Bank of Kenya expects the current account deficit to remain stable at 5.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the year. “Preliminary data on the balance of payments shows that the current account deficit narrowed to 5.0 percent of GDP in the 12 months to June 2020 compared to 5.2 percent of GDP in the 12 months to May,” said the CBK in its…

Kenya’s diaspora remittances inflows rose in June 2020 to $288.5 million (KSh31.1 billion) from $258.2 million (KSh27.8 billion) in May as most countries in the world eased coronavirus restrictions. The Central Bank of Kenya data said this was 12 percent rise in remittances driven by increased payments from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. “The cumulative inflows in the 12 months to June totaled USD 2,809 million compared to USD 2,768 million in the 12 months to June 2019, reflecting a growth of 1.5 percent,” said the CBK in its Weekly Bulletin dated 24 July. Diaspora remittances are…