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Recent Topicals

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The Kenyan National Social Security Fund (NSSF)

Mar 23, 2025

National Social Security schemes are created by governments to form the first pillar of social security. In Africa, Kenya was the second country after Ghana to form a national security scheme, The National Social Security Fund (NSSF), done in 1965 through an Act of Parliament (Cap 258). It is a provident fund, which provides benefits to retiring members as a lump sum rather than through periodic payments. In recent years, discussions around the growth and reform of the NSSF have gained momentum, with key considerations on how to increase coverage, especially for the informal sector, and improve service delivery. As such, we saw it fit to cover a topical on the Kenyan National Social Security Fund to shed light on the financials, recent developments and provide recommendations to improve efficiency. We shall do this by taking a look into the following; Introduction to the National Social Security Fund, Financial Performan...

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Retirement Benefits Schemes Q4’2024 Performance Report

Mar 16, 2025

According to the ACTSERV Q4’2024 Pension Schemes Investments Performance Survey, the five-year average return for segregated schemes over the period 2020 to 2024 was 4.5% with the performance fluctuating over the years to a high of 13.2% in Q4’2024 and a low of 0.7% in Q4’2021 reflective of the markets performance. Notably, segregated retirement benefits scheme q/q returns increased to a 13.2% return in Q4’2024, up from the 3.1% gain recorded in Q4’2023. The y/y growth in overall returns was largely driven by the 18.7% points increase in returns from Equities to 15.7% from a loss of 3.0% in Q4’2023 attributable to the increased corporate earnings and attractive valuations as well as the 13.3% gain from fixed income. The performance was however weighed down by the 17.2% points decline in the Offshore returns to 0.8%, from 18.0% in Q4’2023 majorly attributable to the uncertainty about...

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Nairobi Metropolitan Area Commercial Office Report 2024

Mar 9, 2025

In 2024, we published the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Commercial Office Report 2024 themed ‘Persisting Tenant’s Market’. The report provided an in-depth analysis of the sector's performance in 2023, along with insights into future prospects and investment opportunities. According to the report, the sector experienced notable improvements, with average rental yield improved by 0.1% points to 7.7% in FY’2023 from 7.6% recorded in FY’2022, due to improved occupancy and rental rates. Average asking rents per SQFT in the NMA increased by 7.0% to Kshs 103 per SQFT from Kshs 96, owing to increased availability of high-quality Grade A office spaces, exemplified by Regus, Ikigai, and Spaces, which command premium rents. The overall occupancy rates increased by 0.1% points to 79.5% from 79.4% as a result of a slow but rising demand for physical space. Als...

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Kenya Currency and Interest Rates Review 2025

Feb 23, 2025

The Kenyan Shilling has experienced a marginal depreciation of 21.5 bps on a Year-to-Date against the US Dollar, closing the week at Kshs 129.6 as of February 21, 2025, compared to Kshs 129.3 at the beginning of the year. This is a contrast to the 17.4% appreciation in 2024 while in 2023, 2022, and 2021 the currency depreciated by 26.8%, 9.0%, and 3.6% respectively. The appreciation experienced in 2024 and the current stability of the Shilling is supported by improved forex reserves currently at USD 9.3 bn (equivalent to 4.7-months of import cover), an increase of 28.2% from USD 7.2 bn (equivalent to 3.9-months of import cover) recorded in a similar period in 2024, and an 18% increase in diaspora remittances to USD 4,945.0 mn in 2024 higher than USD 4,190.0 mn recorded in 2023 and the ease in inflation, with the current inflation rate as of January 2025 coming in at 3.3%, within the CBK target range of 2.5%-7.5%. The interest rates have seen significant decreases over the la...

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Everstrong Capital, Usahihi Expressway, and Local Fundraising Feasibility

Feb 16, 2025

Infrastructure development remains one of the key objectives of the Kenyan government as it seeks to achieve its vision 2030.  Good infrastructure reduces costs of doing business, attracts foreign investment, opens up remote areas to investment and boosts the trade competitiveness of the country. Recognizing this, the government continues to actively support infrastructure expansion through financing strategies such as Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), infrastructure bonds, debt financing, and substantial budgetary allocations, with a primary focus on road networks. According to the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, the authority aims to construct 2,349 km of roads, including 1,183 km of new roads, capacity enhancements of 674 km, and rehabilitation of 492 km. Additionally, Ke...

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