The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) plans to summon commercial banks to explain how they intend to meet minimum capital requirements, as the regulator steps up efforts to strengthen the banking sector.
CBK Governor Kamau Thugge said the regulator had already called in some lenders to explain their plans, while others that may struggle to meet the requirements would also be required to outline their next steps.
“There are only a few banks where we want them to come and tell us how they are going to meet the KSh5 billion. We also want to hear from the few, maybe one or two, that might struggle to meet the target; we want to know what they are doing,” Thugge said.
The KSh5 billion target was part of a phased increase in minimum core capital introduced under the Business Laws (Amendment) Act, 2024. However, the Finance Act 2026 scrapped the annual milestones and extended the deadline for banks to meet the KSh10 billion minimum core capital requirement to December 2032.
Thugge said the CBK was also engaging the National Treasury on the capital requirements to ensure that banks strengthen their capital bases.
