Author: Kevin Odero

Family Bank marks largest private-sector listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in more than 17 years. On Tuesday, the lender debuted trading with a market capitalisation of nearly KSh30 billion or $231.7 million. NSE hopes listing will trigger a new wave of private companies entering public markets. Family Bank on Tuesday became the largest private-sector company to list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in more than 17 years, in a landmark transaction that market participants hope will reignite corporate listings and deepen Kenya’s capital markets. The lender listed approximately 1.66 billion ordinary shares on the NSE’s Main Investment…

Kenya’s FY2026/27 budget rules out new taxes on already weary ordinary citizens, relying instead on administrative efficiency and broadening of the tax base to raise an additional Sh98.9 billion, while running a deficit of 5.5 percent of GDP financed by heavy domestic borrowing of Sh1.03 trillion. Recurrent expenditure (Sh3.57 trillion) dominates the budget, with a combined security allocation of Sh567 billion, more than three-quarters of total development spending (Sh750 billion), underscoring how wages, security and debt obligations are squeezing productive investment. Surging oil prices from the Middle East conflict have pushed inflation to 6.7 percent and forced a downward revision…

In Kenya, profitable agri-enterprises cannot access credit. Poultry delivers 108% ROI, cage aquaculture 135% and fish trading 257%, yet up to 53% of these enterprises cite lack of collateral as the primary barrier to scale, new FSD Kenya report reveals. Persons with disabilities are entirely absent from agricultural value chains. Survey shows zero representation across all sampled sectors, with 70% reporting workplaces that do not accommodate their needs. Fixed monthly repayment schedules ignore 7-to-12-month aquaculture cycles and biannual honey harvests, forcing viable enterprises into arrears, pain and collapse. Every year, Kenya faces a food supply gap of roughly five billion…

Floriculture sector players are in Nairobi for the IFTEX 2026 showcase. Kenya’s floriculture industry has evolved into a key pillar of the East Africa’s country’s economy. Today, Kenya is Africa’s largest flower exporter, the world’s leading exporter of rose cut flowers to the European Union, and the third-largest exporter of cut flowers globally. The sector generates approximately $850 million (KES 110 billion) in annual export earnings, supports more than 200,000 direct jobs and sustains millions of livelihoods. Kenya has cemented its position as one of the world’s leading floriculture exporters with key industry leaders, government officials, regulators and international trade…

The DRC has faced Ebola virus before, 16 times, and has ended every outbreak, observes WHO boss Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus on seeing first-hand the intervention efforts in disease-ravaged Bunia city, East of the country. “This is the seventeenth. That history gives me real confidence… You are not alone in this. We are here, we are with you, and we will see this through together.” The Bundibugyo Ebola virus strain outbreak continues to evolve rapidly, with over 1000 cases reported and nearly 250 confirmed deaths, including one in Uganda. In DRC, WHO is working with communities, local leaders, radio stations and…

To combat the spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus that has caused at least 246 deaths, U.S. funding has exceeded $162 million. In the DRC, U.S.-funded partner UNICEF has deployed 1,300 health workers and mobilized 100 motor bikes for use by contact tracing personnel on the ground. S. has committed $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts even as Washington builds an isolation centre for American citizens in a Kenyan military base. The U.S. support to economies across East and Central Africa to combat the spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus that has caused…

Token unlocks are triggering rapid market volatility, liquidity shifts, and infrastructure stress. D24 Fintech says major unlock events associated with networks such as Ethereum and Polygon demonstrate how supply shocks can ripple across exchanges. Rapid price swings are increasing settlement risks, due to trades placed under rapidly changing valuations. This includes added liquidity risks, with order books struggling to absorb dramatic surges in sell orders. Token unlock events are becoming structural volatility triggers in digital asset markets. Unlocks worth $4.6 billion hit crypto markets from the 9th to the 16th of March, with WBT unlocking $4.34 billion, a massive 81.50 million…

Nairobi is increasingly becoming Africa’s most ambitious technology capitals and Governor Johnson Sakaja believes the city has the opportunity to become a leading force in the continent’s artificial intelligence future. Speaking during the opening of AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Sakaja positioned Nairobi as more than just a host city for a major tech event. Instead, he framed the Kenyan capital as a growing innovation hub ready to attract global AI investment, infrastructure, startups, and talent. His remarks came at a time when countries across Africa are competing to position themselves…

“Global technology leaders highlight Kenya’s digital leadership as AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA marks a defining moment for the region.”  Kenya’s growing influence in the global technology landscape took centre stage as leaders at AI EVERYTHING KENYA x GITEX KENYA 2026 described the country as a critical player in the emerging intelligence economy and a key gateway for Africa’s digital future. Speaking during the opening of the inaugural event in Nairobi, Executive Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre, CEO, KAOUN International Trixie LohMirmand lauded Kenya’s remarkable progress in digital transformation, noting that the country’s innovation journey has positioned it ahead of…

From running AI workloads on US$5 servers to 3D avatars for hard-of-hearing communities, regional game-changers look to upend the status quo at East Africa’s largest tech and AI show  Kenya’s emergence as Africa’s leading tech investment hub will come into sharp focus this week as the continent’s most ambitious startups take centre stage at East Africa’s largest tech and AI event in Nairobi, bringing technology that ranges from AI running on a US$5 server to real-time sign language translation. Kenya attracted US$1.04 billion in tech investment in 2025, a 72 percent year-on-year surge that places Nairobi at the centre of Africa’s venture…