Author: Lynet Awino

Kenya’s financial markets ended the week of June 4, 2026 on a broadly stable footing, but the numbers underneath the surface tell a more uncomfortable story. Inflation climbed to a two-year high, Treasury bill rates pushed further upward, and the NSE staged a strong recovery, all against the backdrop of an MPC meeting days away. Inflation reaches a two-year high The cost of living continues to rise. Overall inflation climbed to 6.7 per cent in May 2026 from 5.6 per cent in April, driven by higher energy prices and transport costs as global oil prices remain elevated. Non-core inflation, which…

Kenya’s bankers want the Central Bank of Kenya to raise interest rates. The question is whether households and businesses can afford the consequences. The Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) released a research note, “A Call to raise the Central Bank Rate anchor high inflation expectations,” on June 3 calling on the CBK’s Monetary Policy Committee to push the Central Bank Rate (CBR) higher when it meets on June 9, 2026. The lobby argues a rate increase has become necessary to rein in inflation that has climbed sharply over the past two months. Headline inflation reached 6.7 per cent in May 2026,…

Bolt Food now delivers the supermarket. Through a new partnership with Quickmart, customers can order from over 12,000 products, including fresh groceries, beverages, wellness items and household essentials, straight to their door through the Bolt Food app. The service rolls out across more than 60 Quickmart stores nationwide. The move pushes Bolt Food well beyond its restaurant roots. The platform now positions itself as a daily convenience tool, one that handles not just dinner but the shopping run. From food delivery to full-basket convenience Ali Zaryab, Bolt Food’s General Manager for Kenya and Ghana, frames the shift as part of…

Franz Cerami arrived in Kenya in March 2024 without interest in monuments or postcard landscapes. He was looking for people. Over several weeks, he travelled across the country’s coffee-growing and processing communities, photographing roughly 300 women and men whose hands, knowledge and endurance sit behind one of the world’s most consumed beverages. The result is Jute Portraits, a multimedia art project that places Kenya’s coffee workers at the centre of a global cultural conversation. Portraits were projected onto buildings and public spaces across Nairobi, stopping passersby mid-stride. People looked up, asked questions, and encountered Kenyan coffee workers not as anonymous…

Nikita Kering releases her second studio EP, Lick Back, on May 29, 2026 — three years after The Other Side established her as one of East Africa’s most compelling voices and two years after she became the first Kenyan female artist to sign with Universal Music Group South Africa. The project arrives after a period of deliberate quiet. Between The Other Side and now, Nikita released a string of singles, accumulated features, navigated a high-profile departure from her previous record deal, and signed one of the most significant label deals in Kenyan music history. Lick Back is the first full…

Kenyan motorists caught committing minor traffic offences will no longer face mandatory court appearances. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) confirmed on Thursday, May 28, that a revised instant fines framework takes effect on June 1, 2026, allowing drivers to admit liability and settle penalties through digital channels without ever entering a courtroom. The announcement marks the second attempt at rolling out the system. NTSA suspended the original launch on March 27, 2026, following public backlash and legal challenges. Two months of consultations with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the National Police Service produced the…