Preparing for the Worst

Hello 👋🏽 It's Brian from The Kenyan Wall Street.

As the weekend begins…

• The Supplementary Budget Estimates are out. Some departments will see their allocations diverted, some will see additions, and some will go unchanged.

• Stima Sacco has posted impressive financial results for 2025, with assets edging closer to its rival Mwalimu Sacco

Preparing for the Worst

By Fred Obura

While many government departments are seeing allocations reshuffled, Kenya’s petroleum supplementary budget barely moves, inching up to KSh 30.72 billion. The modest increase comes as Middle East tensions roil global oil markets, where disruptions at chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz could spike costs overnight. Development spending stays flat, while recurrent funds rise just enough to keep operations humming. For a country that imports all its refined fuel, this cautious supplementary budget is Nairobi’s hedge against global shocks that could hit transport, power, and food prices at home.

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Jobs Tick Up Despite Slow Private Sector Growth 

By Fred Obura 

Kenyan firms accelerated hiring in February even as overall private-sector growth slowed, according to the latest Stanbic PMI. New orders and output barely advanced, but companies expanded their workforces to manage backlogs and maintain operations. Cost pressures eased slightly, yet essential goods remained expensive, highlighting the tension between inflation and staffing decisions. In a fragile economy, these modest job gains signal cautious optimism amid persistent uncertainty.

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Stima Sacco's Profit Grows 2.5% 

By Harry Njuguna

Stima DT Sacco inched closer to its sector rival Mwalimu National DT Sacco in 2025, reporting a KSh 8.87 billion asset expansion that lifted its balance sheet to KSh 75.38 billion.

Financial Snapshot: 

🟢 Profit after tax grew 2.5% to KSh 2.22 billion, fueled by stronger loan income and a 12% jump in member deposits.

🟢 Total assets climbed 13.3% year-on-year, with loans to members reaching KSh 52.5 billion.

🔴 Expected credit losses rose to KSh 476 million, nudging delinquency to 6.7%.

🟢 Stima launched Mpawa Insurance Brokerage, converting its agency into a fully licensed subsidiary to diversify revenue and expand member services.

Read the financial analysis here >>>>>

State Digital Plans Face Budgetary Cuts

By Brian Nzomo

Kenya plans to slash its ICT budget by 25%, a move that could slow the digital tide reaching its rural counties. Projects once aimed at connecting hundreds of communities and populating digital hubs are now sharply scaled back, leaving ambitious visions partially undone. While Konza Technopolis and e-government initiatives limp along, the capital cuts hit broadband expansion and the country’s BPO growth most. In a nation where Nairobi hums with connectivity and Turkana struggles to get online, the budget trim exposes a growing divide between tech promise and rural reality.

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Must Read

OPINION : In Africa’s Creative Economies, Women Are Claiming Ownership 

By Libby Allen

Women across Africa’s creative industries are moving beyond visibility to something more consequential: ownership. From fashion algorithms in Dakar to gaming narratives in Johannesburg and streaming platforms in Lagos, a new generation of creators is building businesses that control their intellectual property, distribution and storytelling. The shift reflects a growing recognition that creative output alone isn’t enough if the infrastructure that captures value belongs to someone else. As debates around AI and global content platforms intensify, the real question after International Women’s Day may be whether African women control more of the systems their creativity powers.

Read the opinion article here »»»»»

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Each year, the Annual Summit gathers over 2,000 participants from more than 70 countries, including 40 African states — among them over 1,000 CEOs, more than 75 Heads of State and Ministers, 100 leaders of development finance institutions, and 200 international journalists.

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