Livestock Bill: You need a licence to keep bees

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Livestock Bill: You need a licence to keep bees

Staff Writer - June 4, 2021

Any person who intends to keep bees will now be forced to obtain a licence from the government. In the new laws proposed by the...

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Stanbic Holdings Plc (“the Company”) has posted a Profit After Tax (PAT) of KES 6.5 billion and delivered a return on equity of 17.4% in the half year ended 30th June 2025. Stanbic Holdings PLC’s performance for the period was underpinned by resilient non-interest revenue generation and lower credit impairment charges, which helped cushion the impact of a decline in net interest income. The listed lender, with operations in Kenya and South Sudan, noted that while year-on-year organic growth remained subdued, its continued focus on operational excellence and robust risk management enhanced its fortitude and strengthened its long-term growth outlook. During the period, Stanbic recorded a 9% increase in active clients, driven by the continued optimization of its products and digital platforms. This growth, coupled with targeted client support initiatives, strengthened the Bank’s credit position, contributing to a 4% expansion in the balance sheet from the December 2024 closing position. Speaking on the half-year performance, Dr Joshua Oigara stated, ‘’ The Kenyan economy remained stable amidst persistent headwinds. Nonetheless, some pressures persist as evidenced by sluggish private sector credit uptake, high fiscal deficits and geopolitical risks. Our focus in this period was largely on supporting our clients navigate shifting market conditions, while fortifying our growth through robust risk management, capital strength and well managed liquidity levels. We believe that our business will continue to demonstrate resilience and keep momentum even as the market continues to post recovery.’ During the reporting period, all four business lines demonstrated robustness and strategic execution. Corporate and Investment Banking played a key role in facilitating a new USD 1.5 billion Eurobond issuance, Tender Offer for the Republic of Kenya, reinforcing our leadership in sovereign advisory. Business and Commercial Banking continued to support the real economy, disbursing KES 16.4 billion in loans to SMEs across various sectors. Personal and Private Banking achieved a fourfold increase in scheme disbursements, reflecting growing client demand and effective distribution. We also made significant strides in digital banking, with the enhancement of our Omni Channel mobile app, introducing key features that drove active users beyond 100,000 mark. The Insurance and Asset Management business maintained positive momentum, with assets under management surpassing KES 4 billion (in nine months since launch), underscoring the strength of our diversified financial services offering. Notably, Stanbic Bank, the Company’s main subsidiary, was ranked among the top 5 banks in SME lending by the Kenya Banker’s Association, with the lender allocating capital to impact sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, and trade, delivering both returns and national development outcomes in the first half of the year. The Bank was also awarded the 2nd runners up on the Best Bank to Borrow from and Best Bank in Mortgage Finance at the Think Business Awards. Commenting on the performance, Dennis Musau, Chief Financial and Value Officer said, ‘’ Our H1 2025 results signal steady progress, anchored in a stable macroeconomic climate and recovering private sector credit growth. Commercial lending to the private sector grew by 2.0% in May, up from a contraction of 2.9% in January—signalling a rebound in demand alongside easing interest rates. We continue to refine our strategic focus, leveraging our core strengths to unlock long-term value and deliver sustainable returns for our shareholders in an evolving market landscape.’’ The Bank recorded an NPL ratio of 9.5%, which is below industry levels at 17.6%, and representative of a healthy asset book. ‘’ Credit quality is a priority for us, which is why we have adopted a proactive, data-led approach to managing risk. We have strengthened our credit assessment frameworks and developed sector-specific models that enable us to better anticipate and support clients during volatile cycles," Musau added. The Bank also reduced its lending rates by 180bps cumulatively in response to Kenya’s easing monetary policy stance. Financial Performance Summary: During the first half of 2025, Stanbic Holdings Plc delivered a robust performance amidst a dynamic operating environment, with key highlights as follows: Profit after tax declined by 9% to KES 6.5 billion, largely impacted by lower net interest income and elevated operating expenses, primarily due to prior year base effects. Trading revenue contracted by 7%, reflecting the impact of narrower margins in the current period. Customer numbers grew by 9%, driven by effective market positioning and continued investment in customer experience. Other non-interest revenue excluding trading revenue rose by 9%, supported by higher customer transaction volumes and a more diverse suite of product offerings. Operating expenses increased by 16%, attributable to 2024 base effects, driven by the appreciation of the Kenya Shilling as well as investments in long-term strategic initiatives. The cost-to-income ratio stood at 48.1%, reflecting a contraction in total income alongside elevated cost levels. Credit impairment charges decreased by 26%, underlining enhanced risk management practices and improved credit portfolio quality. Customer deposits closed at KES 330 billion, a 4% increase from December 2024, while loans and advances stood at KES 233 billion, representing a 1% growth over the same period. The NPL ratio remained at 9.5%, as the Bank continues to prioritize asset quality and proactive credit management. The Bank recorded a Return on Equity (ROE) of 17.37%, supported by active capital and liquidity management across the portfolio. Strengthening Impact and Delivering Value – H1 2025 Highlights Stanbic Bank continued to advance its sustainability agenda during the first half of 2025, directing funding and capacity-building efforts across four key impact areas: enterprise growth and job creation, infrastructure development and a just energy transition, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and financial inclusion. Key sustainability achievements include: Issuance of KES 4.5 billion towards green infrastructure projects Lending of KES 1.2 billion to support climate-smart agriculture Disbursement of KES 900 million under the affordable housing program enabling over 200 new homeowners Facilitation of KES 94.8 billion in trade loans, driving economic activity Planted 30k trees as part of climate change mitigation Through the Stanbic Kenya Foundation, the Group deepened its social impact via strategic partnerships with GIZ, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, American Tower Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation. These collaborations supported job creation, financial inclusion, and youth empowerment. Notably, the Foundation disbursed KES 24 million in catalytic loans to MSMEs and delivered financial literacy and entrepreneurship training to over 33,000 women entrepreneurs across Kenya. In recognition of this performance and commitment to shareholder returns, the Group has recommended an interim dividend of KES 3.80 per share, marking a 106.5% increase year-on-year.

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Emirates (www.Emirates.com), the world’s largest international airline, has introduced a first-of-its-kind split-payment solution for travellers in Kenya, through a longstanding strategic partnership with Cellulant, Africa’s leading payments technology company. The split-payment capability, enabled by Tingg, Cellulant’s payment gateway, has debuted in Kenya and is expected to roll out to other African markets in the coming months. Available on Emirates’ website, Tingg’s split payment feature, offers greater financial flexibility by allowing customers to combine multiple payment methods across mobile money, mobile banking and local credit and debit cards. The partnership also enables customers to make an initial payment online, followed by up to four additional instalments across 24 hours, unlocking greater purchasing power and making airfares more accessible to mobile-first customers. “With hundreds of millions of Africans relying on mobile money as their preferred way to pay, extending this convenience to global travel payments is essential,” said Michael Muriuki, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Cellulant. “Through Tingg, we are enabling Emirates customers to complete high-value transactions seamlessly, without transaction limits becoming a barrier to access.” Commenting on the partnership, Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ Country Manager for Kenya, said, “Kenya is one of the most dynamic markets on our global network, and we’re always looking for ways to enhance our customer experience across every touchpoint, including the booking process. By introducing split payments, through Tingg by Cellulant, we unlock greater flexibility and convenience, while enabling more customers to access our world-class product and services.” Solving a Real Pain Point: the Split-Payment Breakthrough Mobile money is the dominant form of payment across Africa, with over 1 billion registered mobile money wallets and more than 80 billion transactions totalling over US$1 trillion. Yet despite its widespread adoption, per-transaction and daily limits on mobile wallets often prevent customers from completing high-value purchases, such as international airline tickets, forcing customers to abandon bookings. By introducing the split-payment solution available through Cellulant’s payment platform, Tingg, Emirates directly addresses this challenge by allowing customers to complete ticket bookings while remaining within provider-imposed limits. The split-payment feature joins Emirates’ raft of other financing options (https://apo-opa.co/3ZV37Oc), designed to make airfare more accessible to customers. In Kenya, Emirates enables payments through mobile apps such as M-Pesa and Safaricom or via mobile banking transfer, through partner banks, via Cellulant. Across the region, Emirates and Cellulant also facilitate a variety of finance options in 14 markets across Africa such as South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe. The launch comes as Emirates adds a third daily flight on the Dubai–Nairobi route from 1 March 2026, increasing capacity on a corridor that has seen strong demand. In recent months, Emirates has operated its double daily flights at a consistently strong seat factor, reflecting growing demand for air travel between Kenya and global destinations. By pairing the extra flights with locally aligned payment options, Cellulant and Emirates are ensuring that demand is met with accessibility. To book tickets with split payment, customers can visit the Emirates website.

Emirates Expands Payment Flexibility in Kenya through Cellulant’s Split-Payment Solution

March 2, 2026

The Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES) 2026 opened its doors in Cape Town today, marking a pivotal moment in the continent's economic trajectory. Convening a powerful coalition of policymakers, financiers and innovators, the summit signals a decisive shift from conceptual ambition to concrete, bankable action in the pursuit of a sustainable African future. Under the banner of "From Ambition to Action: Scaling Opportunities in Africa's Green and Blue Solutions," AGES 2026, proudly sponsored by Sanlam Investments, is not merely a forum for discussion but a catalyst for deal-making and partnership. The gathering is built on a singular premise, that Africa’s environmental challenges are, in fact, its greatest economic opportunities. “Ambition lights the path, but it does not pave it. To transform our economies and uplift our communities, we must move beyond rhetoric to robust execution,” said Lerato Mbele, Summit Moderator. “This summit is a marketplace of ideas where we connect visionaries with investors, ensuring that Africa’s green transition is not just sustainable, but also scalable and profitable.” The strategic focus of this year’s agenda is underpinned by compelling data. The summit is shining a spotlight on the blue economy, a colossal yet often under-leveraged asset that already injects nearly $300 billion annually into the continent’s GDP and sustains 46 million livelihoods through fisheries, tourism and logistics. Simultaneously, the green economy, with agriculture and renewable energy at its core, is projected to unlock a staggering $10 trillion in global business value over the next decade, positioning Africa to generate an estimated 300 million new jobs for its burgeoning youth population. These are not distant prospects, but immediate frontiers for investment and innovation. Echoing this sentiment, the Honourable Naren Singh, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, addressed delegates with a call for holistic progress. "Our journey towards a low-carbon future must be defined by a fundamental truth: sustainability is a three-legged stool, balancing the health of our planet, the prosperity of our people and the creation of shared value," he stated. "By investing in our natural capital, we are investing in the most resilient infrastructure of all our communities." Over the next two days, the summit floor will be a hive of activity. Attendees will engage in high-level interactive sessions, witness live project pitches from Africa’s most promising green entrepreneurs, and participate in curated networking forums designed to fast-track collaboration and knowledge transfer. AGES 2026 is more than an event, it is a declaration that Africa is ready to build a future where economic resilience and environmental stewardship are the same.

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Instant 24/7 bank-to-bank transfers across African borders in local currencies. Simpler cross-border payments for individuals, businesses, and SMEs. 80 plus Pesalink network participants now linked to 160 plus PAPSS participating banks. Pesalink, Kenya’s de facto instant payment network, has partnered with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to ease cross-border payment and speed up regional financial integration. The partnership enables instant 24/7 cross-border payments from PAPSS participants into banks and mobile money operators within the Pesalink network in Kenya, all settled in local currencies. This reduces complex correspondent banking requirements and reliance on foreign reserve currencies. PAPSS, an initiative of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, enables cross-border payments between African countries. Pesalink is now a Technical Connectivity Provider. It means that 80 plus Kenyan bank, fintech, SACCO and telco participants on the Pesalink network will be connected to 160 plus commercial banks and fintechs on the PAPSS platform. Cross-border payments remain expensive and slow for many African businesses. The 2023 (http://apo-opa.co/4baDSh7) World Bank Remittance Prices report indicates that sending money across African borders incurs on average 7-8% of the total value sent (above the global average of 6–7%). Settlement can also take three to seven business days. The Pesalink–PAPSS partnership will reduce costs, speed up settlements, and help individuals, SMEs and businesses send money more efficiently across borders. Speaking during the partnership signing held at Pesalink offices in Nairobi, PAPSS CEO Mike Ogbalu III said, “For PAPSS to deliver true impact, collaboration with national and private switches like Pesalink is essential. Pesalink is the first switch we’ve piloted for transaction termination in Kenya, and we are already seeing greater adoption by opening more channels for seamless, local-currency cross-border payments across Africa.” Pesalink CEO, Gituku Kirika, said “Kenyan banks will now be able to offer faster, cheaper cross-border payments. They will be helping their customers grow more regional trading relationships and thrive in a more integrated digital economy.”

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Livestock Bill: You need a licence to keep bees

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