Author: Korir Issa

Kenya’s economy grew 5.3% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 4.9% in the same period last year, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). Every sector expanded, though the pace varied widely. Accommodation and Food Services led the pack at 14.7% growth, followed by Mining and Quarrying at 9.1% and Construction at 6.6%. Where Each Sector Stood: Contribution and Growth The table below from KNBS data, breaks down how much each sector contributes to GDP and how fast it grew. Sector Contribution Q1’2025 Contribution Q1’2026 Growth Q1’2025 Growth Q1’2026 Agriculture and Forestry 19.1% 19.0% 5.3% 4.9%…

Safaricom poured billions of shillings into education, health and community programmes in its 25th year, even as its own climate targets kept slipping further out of reach. The telecom giant’s FY26 Annual Report shows a company investing heavily in people while its Planet ambitions, the ones it set for itself, continue to lag behind schedule. A New Strategy For A 25 Year Milestone Safaricom marked its 25th anniversary in October 2025 by rolling its climate, circularity and community work into what it calls the Purpose Strategy, split into two pillars: People, focused on transforming society, and Planet, meant to catalyse…

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated marked a milestone for African sustainable finance on July 9, 2026, ringing the opening bell at the London Stock Exchange to celebrate the listing of its US$450 million Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Capital Bond. The bond had priced in May and settled that month, but the ceremony formally recognized what the market had already confirmed: Ecobank had pulled off the first ICMA designated Nature Bond ever issued by a commercial bank. The designation matters because it separates marketing language from measurable commitment. The Notes carry the ICMA Nature Bond secondary designation under the ICMA Sustainable Bonds for…

The Central Bank of Kenya has replaced a licence fee model that stood untouched since 1994. Legal Notice No. 81 of 2026, published on 8 May 2026, brings gross annual revenue into the calculation for the first time and retires the old branch count method entirely. Why the Change Matters Kenya’s banking sector barely resembles what it looked like three decades ago. Local branches grew from 371 in 1994 to over 1,500 today, and cross border operations expanded from zero to more than 500. A fee structure built around branch counts stopped reflecting how banks actually generate income or how…

KCB Bank has teamed up with Mastercard to roll out a Shariah compliant payments solution for customers under its Sahl Banking brand, giving Islamic finance customers in Kenya a new card and a wider network of agents to bank through. What Sahl Banking Actually Means Sahl, which translates to easy in Arabic, is not a new name at KCB. The bank first tested an Islamic banking window in 2007, but the effort stalled and lost momentum within a few years. KCB tried again in 2015, this time with full approval from the National Treasury, launching what it called KCB Sahl…

Marriott International has ended a beverage partnership with PepsiCo that lasted more than three decades, handing Coca-Cola control of drink service across nearly 10,000 hotels worldwide. The switch marks one of the biggest wins in the long running rivalry between the world’s two largest soft drink makers, and it puts Coca-Cola back where it started before Marriott dropped it for Pepsi in the first place. Coca-Cola and Marriott announced the new agreement on July 1, with the rollout reaching properties across 146 countries and territories. The change touches hotels in the United States, China, France and African markets including Kenya,…