Size and trend of bank lending
Commercial banks' gross loans to agriculture grew from KSh 49.4 billion at the end of 2010 to KSh 197.9 billion at the end of 2025, about US$1.53 billion123. Agriculture's share of gross loans declined from 5.4% in 2010 to 3.3% in 2019 and 2021 and recovered to 4.4% in 2024 and 4.6% in 20251452. The sector held 127,031 loan accounts in December 20252. CBK described credit growth to agriculture as strong in September 2026, when bank lending to the private sector grew by 10.6%6.
In dollars the stock rose from US$612 million in 2010 to US$1.53 billion in 2025, with a dip in 2023 when the shilling weakened to 156.46 per dollar at the end of the year (own conversion)3. The KNBS Economic Survey publishes a wider series of bills, loans and advances of banks and non-bank institutions, which shows KSh 192.0 billion for agriculture in December 2025, 2.5% of a total that includes holdings of government securities7.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross loans to agriculture (KSh million) | 197,895.5 |
| Gross loans to agriculture (US$ million, own conversion at 129.01) | 1,534.0 |
| Share of gross loans of commercial banks (%) | 4.6 |
| Loan accounts in agriculture | 127,031 |
| Gross non-performing loans in agriculture (KSh million) | 38,134.6 |
| NPL ratio, agriculture (%, own calculation) | 19.3 |
| NPL ratio, all sectors (%) | 16.0 |
| Agriculture's share of gross NPLs (%) | 5.5 |
| Agriculture's share of GDP, 2025 (%) | 23.2 |
Loan quality
Gross non-performing loans in agriculture were KSh 38.1 billion in December 2025, 19.3% of the sector's loans, against an all-sector ratio of 16.0% (own calculation)2. The agricultural ratio rose from 9.6% in 2015 to 33.9% in 2018 and stayed between 17.5% and 22.1% in 2019β20251316520. Agriculture's share of all bad loans was 5.5% in 2025, close to its share of loans2. For the whole banking sector the ratio fell to 13.9% in September 2026, with decreases in agriculture among other sectors6.
| Year | Gross loans (KSh bn) | Gross NPLs (KSh bn) | NPL ratio agriculture (%) | NPL ratio all sectors (%) | Agriculture share of NPLs (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 87.5 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 6.8 | 5.7 |
| 2017 | 80.0 | 9.0 | 11.2 | 12.3 | 3.4 |
| 2018 | 90.0 | 30.5 | 33.9 | 12.7 | 9.6 |
| 2019 | 89.6 | 16.8 | 18.8 | 12.5 | 5.0 |
| 2020 | 108.1 | 23.3 | 21.6 | 14.5 | 5.3 |
| 2021 | 106.2 | 19.2 | 18.1 | 14.1 | 4.2 |
| 2022 | 126.5 | 27.7 | 21.9 | 13.9 | 5.5 |
| 2023 | 145.7 | 32.1 | 22.1 | 15.6 | 4.9 |
| 2024 | 180.6 | 31.6 | 17.5 | 17.1 | 4.5 |
| 2025 | 197.9 | 38.1 | 19.3 | 16.0 | 5.5 |
Interest rates and the policy framework
The Central Bank of Kenya raised its policy rate from 7.00% in 2022 to 13.00% in February 2024 and then cut it in ten steps to 8.75% on 10 February 2026, where it stayed at the October 2026 meeting226. Average lending rates fell from 17.2% in November 2024 to 14.4% in September 20266. From September 2016 to November 2019 a statutory cap limited lending rates to four percentage points above the CBK benchmark rate4. Domestic credit to the private sector was 29.4% of GDP in 202523.
The Agricultural Finance Corporation, a government-owned lender mandated to lend for agricultural development, had a loan book of KSh 12.07 billion at 30 June 2025, about US$93.4 million (own conversion), up from KSh 10.56 billion a year earlier243. It disbursed KSh 4.75 billion and collected KSh 4.49 billion in FY2024/25, operated 47 branches in 35 counties and made a pre-tax profit of KSh 88.19 million24. The Auditor-General qualified its FY2024/25 accounts, citing KSh 1,024.2 million of non-performing medium-term loans and KSh 325.7 million of loans classified as active that should have been classified as non-performing24. The Government Owned Enterprises Act 2025 repealed the AFC Act from 5 December 2025 and lists AFC among the enterprises to be reconstituted as public limited companies25. Lenders can take security over movable property under the Movable Property Security Rights Act of 2017, and against warehouse receipts2627.
| Indicator | FY2023/24 | FY2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Loan book at 30 June (KSh billion) | 10.56 | 12.07 |
| Loan book at 30 June 2025 (US$ million, own conversion at 129.2343) | β | 93.4 |
| Loan disbursements (KSh billion) | 3.54 | 4.75 |
| Loan collections (KSh billion) | 4.46 | 4.49 |
| Total assets (KSh billion) | 12.57 | 14.01 |
| Pre-tax profit (KSh million) | 36.75 | 88.19 |
| Short-term loans at 30 June 2025 (KSh billion) | β | 0.96 |
| Medium-term loans at 30 June 2025 (KSh billion) | β | 10.55 |
| Directors' loans at 30 June 2025 (KSh billion) | β | 0.06 |
| Staff loans at 30 June 2025 (KSh billion) | β | 0.5 |
| Branches (counties) | β | 47 (35) |
| Date | Central Bank Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| 30 May 2022 | 7.50 |
| 29 Sep 2022 | 8.25 |
| 23 Nov 2022 | 8.75 |
| 29 Mar 2023 | 9.50 |
| 26 Jun 2023 | 10.50 |
| 5 Dec 2023 | 12.50 |
| 6 Feb 2024 | 13.00 |
| 6 Aug 2024 | 12.75 |
| 8 Oct 2024 | 12.00 |
| 5 Dec 2024 | 11.25 |
| 5 Feb 2025 | 10.75 |
| 8 Apr 2025 | 10.00 |
| 10 Jun 2025 | 9.75 |
| 12 Aug 2025 | 9.50 |
| 7 Oct 2025 | 9.25 |
| 9 Dec 2025 | 9.00 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | 8.75 |
| 7 Oct 2026 (retained) | 8.75 |
| Rate (%) | Dec 2021 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Bank Rate | 7.00 | 8.75 | 12.50 | 11.25 | 9.00 |
| 91-day Treasury bill | 7.26 | 9.33 | 15.70 | 10.32 | 7.78 |
| Interbank rate | 5.10 | 5.39 | 11.65 | 11.45 | 9.08 |
| Commercial bank loans and advances (maximum) | 12.16 | 12.67 | 14.63 | 16.89 | 14.82 |
| Average deposits | 6.50 | 7.17 | 10.10 | 10.45 | 7.13 |
Mobile money, inclusion and Saccos
Registered mobile money accounts rose from 16.4 million in December 2010 to 89.5 million in December 2025, and active agents to 473,53630. The 2024 FinAccess survey found 84.8% of adults with formal financial access and 9.9% excluded, and Global Findex shows 90.1% of adults with an account in 20243132. Formal borrowing is less common. In 2024, 12.6% of adults borrowed from a formal financial institution and 32.4% from a mobile money provider8. CBK has licensed digital credit providers since the 2021 amendment of the CBK Act3334.
In the 2024 FinAccess survey the primary source of day-to-day agricultural financing was reinvested income from farming (49.3%), and drought ranked as the leading challenge in agriculture (19.2%), followed by the high cost of inputs (17.3%) and pests and diseases (16.6%)31. Regulated Saccos held loans of KSh 948.3 billion in 20257.
| Year | Active agents | Registered accounts (million) | Agent cash-in and cash-out in December (KSh bn) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 143,946 | 28.6 | 267.1 |
| 2018 | 205,745 | 47.7 | 367.8 |
| 2020 | 282,929 | 66.0 | 605.7 |
| 2022 | 317,983 | 73.1 | 708.1 |
| 2024 | 381,116 | 82.4 | 753.5 |
| 2025 | 473,536 | 89.5 | 722.5 |
| August 2026 | 563,605 | 95.3 | 761.1 |
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with formal financial access (FinAccess, %) | 84.8 | 2024 |
| Adults financially excluded (FinAccess, %) | 9.9 | 2024 |
| Account ownership, adults (Findex, %) | 90.1 | 2024 |
| Borrowed from a formal financial institution (Findex, %) | 12.6 | 2024 |
| Borrowed from a mobile money provider (Findex, %) | 32.4 | 2024 |
| Agricultural day-to-day financing from reinvested farm income (FinAccess, %) | 49.3 | 2024 |
| Adults relying mainly on agriculture for their livelihood (FinAccess, %) | 17.9 | 2024 |
| Indicator | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | 807,109 | 890,300 | 971,955 | 1,076,151 | 1,209,550 |
| Loans and advances | 608,750 | 680,351 | 758,565 | 845,113 | 948,306 |
| Deposits (BOSA and FOSA) | 564,887 | 620,446 | 682,186 | 749,430 | 831,910 |
Insurance and risk finance
Insurers wrote gross premiums of KSh 464.7 billion in 2025, about 2.6% of GDP, of which KSh 229.3 billion in general insurance (own calculation)7. The Insurance Act (Cap. 487) establishes the Insurance Regulatory Authority36. Agricultural insurance premiums and claims are not shown separately in the official statistics that could be accessed in October 2026. The World Bank DRIVE project offers pastoralists a package of savings, insurance and digital accounts, and covered 1,520,550 pastoralists and dependents in Kenya by 10 October 202537. In 2018 Kenya also took a US$200 million contingent credit for disaster risks38.
| Instrument | Provider | Status and figures |
|---|---|---|
| DRIVE, financial services package for pastoralists (savings, insurance, digital accounts) | World Bank regional project P176517 | 1,520,550 pastoralists and dependents covered in Kenya on 10 October 2025, against a target of 800,000, and 99% of payouts were made within 30 days (project-wide) |
| Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option | World Bank (P161562) | US$200 million, approved June 2018, closed September 2021 |
| Emergency locust response | World Bank regional programme P173702 | US$195.6 million for the region, approved May 2020 |
| Agricultural insurance premiums and claims | Insurance Regulatory Authority | Not available from an accessible official source in October 2026 |
Sources cited on this page
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2010 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2025 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- IMF, Exchange Rates (ER) dataset β Kenya, domestic currency per US$ (end of period and period average) β International Monetary Fund (IMF), Statistics Departmentverified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2019 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2024 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Monetary Policy Committee press release, meeting of 7 October 2026 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Economic Survey 2026 (PDF) β Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS)verified
- Global Findex database (source 28), borrowing indicators fin22a, fin22a_1 and fin22a.22a1.22g.d (% age 15+), World Bank API β World Bankverified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2011 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2012 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2013 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2014 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2015 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2016 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2017 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2018 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2020 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2021 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2022 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Bank Supervision Annual Report 2023 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- World Development Indicators β Agriculture, forestry and fishing, value added (% of GDP), NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS (API, JSON) β World Bankverified
- Central Bank Rate, history of MPC decisions (web page) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- World Development Indicators β Domestic credit to private sector (% of GDP), FS.AST.PRVT.GD.ZS (API, JSON) β World Bankverified
- Annual Reports and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2025, with the Report of the Auditor-General (PDF, Parliament of Kenya library) β Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), tabled in Parliamentverified
- Government Owned Enterprises Act, No. 25 of 2025 (Kenya Law web page) β National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law)verified
- Movable Property Security Rights Act, No. 13 of 2017 (PDF on brs.go.ke) β National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law), hosted by the Business Registration Serviceverified
- Warehouse receipt financing (web page) β Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC)verified
- About us (web page) β Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC)verified
- World Development Indicators β Lending interest rate (%), FR.INR.LEND (API, JSON) β World Bankverified
- Mobile payments statistics, monthly table (web page) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- 2024 FinAccess Household Survey, main report (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), KNBS and FSD Kenyaverified
- Global Findex: Account ownership at a financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider (% of population ages 15+), FX.OWN.TOTL.ZS, World Bank API (Findex 2025 database) β World Bankverified
- Central Bank of Kenya Act, Cap. 491, consolidated text as at 4 November 2025 (PDF on centralbank.go.ke) β National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law), hosted by CBKverified
- Central Bank of Kenya (Digital Credit Providers) Regulations, 2022, Legal Notice No. 46, Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 45, 18 March 2022 (PDF) β Government Printer, hosted by CBKverified
- Who we are (web page) β Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA)verified
- Insurance Act, Cap. 487 (Act No. 1 of 1985) (Kenya Law web page) β National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law)verified
- DRIVE (P176517) Implementation Status and Results Report, sequence 5, archived 9 February 2026 (text) β World Bankverified
- Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Credit with a Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO), P161562, project page β World Bankverified
- Emergency Locust Response Program, P173702, project page β World Bankverified
- Guidance on Climate-Related Risk Management, October 2021 (PDF) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Kenya Green Finance Taxonomy, April 2025 (PDF in ZIP, main document and eleven sector appendices) β Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)verified
- Corporate profile (web page) β Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC)verified
- Agricultural Finance Corporation Act, Cap. 323 (Kenya Law web page) β National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law)verified
- Sacco Societies Act, Cap. 490B (Act No. 14 of 2008) (Kenya Law web page) β National Council for Law Reporting (Kenya Law)verified
- Kenya country page (web page) β Green Climate Fundverified
- FP292 Scaling climate-smart solutions for hardest-to-reach MSMEs and farmers in Kenya (CST Facility), project page β Green Climate Fundverified
- Green Bonds (web page) β Nairobi Securities Exchange PLCverified
For more information and suggestions, please contact serkan.veziroglu@prosperaimpact.com.