The Kenya Shilling remained stable against major international and regional currencies during the week ending August 20, 2026, trading at KSh129.49 against the US dollar.

According to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Weekly Bulletin released on August 21, the shilling traded at KSh129.49 on August 20, compared to KSh129.40 on August 13.

“The Kenya Shilling remained stable against major international and regional currencies during the week ending August 20, 2026. It exchanged at KSh129.49 per U.S. dollar on August 20, compared to KSh129.40 per U.S. dollar on August 13,” reads part of the statement.

The Sterling Pound was trading at KSh176.48, the Euro at KSh151.20, and 100 Japanese Yen at KSh81.53. The Ugandan Shilling stood at KSh28.74, the Tanzanian Shilling at KSh20.43, the Rwandan Franc at KSh11.35, and the South African Rand at KSh8.02.

CBK Reports USD 15.2 Billion in Kenya’s Forex Reserves

Kenya’s foreign exchange reserves also remained adequate, standing at USD 15.155 billion as of August 20, equivalent to 6.3 months of import cover.

Foreign exchange reserves remained above the CBK’s statutory requirement to endeavour to maintain at least four months of import cover.

The money market remained liquid during the week, with commercial banks’ excess reserves averaging KSh45.9 billion above the 3.25 percent Cash Reserve Ratio requirement.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Shilling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (KESONIA) remained unchanged at 8.75 percent on August 20, the same level recorded on August 13.

However, activity in the interbank market declined during the week. The average number of transactions fell to 23 from 25 in the previous week, while the average value traded declined to KSh17.6 billion from KSh18.8 billion.

Government Securities

In the government securities market, the Treasury bill auction held on August 20 attracted bids worth KSh71.7 billion against an advertised amount of KSh28 billion.

The bids represented a performance of 255.9 percent, while interest rates on the 91-day, 182-day and 364-day Treasury bills declined during the week.

At the Nairobi Securities Exchange, key share price indices recorded gains during the week ending August 20.

The NASI increased by 2.72 percent, while the NSE 25 and NSE 20 rose by 2.90 percent and 2.24 percent, respectively.

Additionally, Market capitalization rose 2.72 percent, while total shares traded surged 229.90 percent. Equity turnover also rose by 253.81 percent.

Activity in the domestic secondary bond market strengthened, with bond turnover increasing by 128.90 percent during the week.

In the international market, yields on Kenya’s Eurobonds increased by an average of 11.05 basis points. Yields on Côte d’Ivoire’s bonds also increased, while those for Angola declined.

Further, globally, inflation concerns persisted during the week, with UK headline inflation rising to 2.9 percent in July from 2.6 percent in June.

In China, economic activity moderated in July, with industrial output growth slowing to 4.5 percent from 5.3 percent in June. Retail sales growth also eased to 0.6 percent from 1 percent, pointing to weaker domestic demand.

CBK stated that the commodity prices increased during the week, with Murban crude oil rising to USD84.76 per barrel on August 20 from USD79.29 on August 13.

The rise in oil prices was linked to heightened tensions between the United States and Iran and concerns over possible disruptions to oil supplies.

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CBK Signals Stability of Kenyan Shilling as Forex Reserves Hit USD15.2 Billion
CBK Governor Kamau Thugge. PHOTO/Parliament