Author: Lynet Awino

Kenya’s annual consumer price inflation rose to 5.6 percent in April 2026, up from 4.4 percent in March — the first time the rate has crossed the Central Bank of Kenya’s 5 percent midpoint target since June 2024. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics confirmed the figure on 29 April, citing food, transport, and fuel as the primary drivers of an acceleration that caught most forecasters off guard. The monthly picture was sharper still. The Consumer Price Index climbed 1.4 percent in April alone, against 0.5 percent in March — nearly three times the pace of the previous month. The…

Small and medium enterprises across Kenya can now transfer funds directly from Airtel Money wallets into Absa Bank Kenya accounts and pay to Absa merchant paybill numbers, following a partnership the two companies signed this week. The integration targets a gap that has long slowed down everyday business transactions, the friction between mobile money and formal banking. The service covers business payments, bill settlements, and fund transfers, all accessible from a mobile phone. Airtel Money customers also receive up to 100 percent cashback as airtime on all paybill payments made through the service. Why This Partnership Addresses a Real Problem…

Gulf African Bank has confirmed the completion of two separate shareholding transactions, each bringing a new strategic investor into its ownership structure. Soren Investment Company acquired a 42.78% stake from Al Salam Bank and Istithmar World Limited. Auron Holdings, in a distinct transaction, acquired 14.94% from the International Finance Corporation. Both deals cleared all required regulatory approvals. “The acquisitions reflect confidence in both Gulf African Bank and the banking industry in Kenya.” Together, the transactions transfer a combined majority interest to two investors with very different profiles but a shared commitment to the bank’s growth. For Gulf African Bank, the…

Kenya has launched the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), committing the country to a structured approach to funding conservation and building a nature-positive economy. The launch, held in Nairobi and attended by senior government officials, development partners, financial sector representatives, and civil society, marks the formal establishment of the BIOFIN Kenya Chapter. Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr. Festus Ng’eno described the initiative as an evidence-based response to a persistent financing gap that has long undermined Kenya’s biodiversity conservation efforts. Why Biodiversity Finance Is an Economic Priority Kenya’s ecosystems are not peripheral to its economy. They sit at the…

Anita Wawuda did not audition for the role that changed everything. She walked into the room for a different part entirely, got called back, and heard four words that stopped her in her tracks: we want you for Nimo. What followed was the role she had been waiting for without knowing it had a name. Nimo is an undercover DCI officer at the centre of Mizani, the crime drama now streaming on Maisha Magic Plus and Showmax. She is recruited by a governor to dismantle a syndicate operating in his jurisdiction, and her primary target is a man named Solo,…

The Co-operative Bank of Kenya is reorganising its entire corporate structure. The board has approved a transition into a Non-Operating Holding Company (NOHC) model that will separate its core banking business from the broader group, rename the listed parent entity Co-opbank Group PLC, and incorporate a new subsidiary, Co-op Bank Kenya Limited, to carry on the banking operations in Kenya. What the Restructuring Changes The reorganisation places a holding company at the apex of the group, with Co-op Bank Kenya Limited sitting beneath it as the licensed banking entity. The listed parent will oversee subsidiaries and regional investments rather than…