Recession means job losses, companies perform poorly and its much worse in an environment of rising cost of living.

Comments coming as data shows US Q1 GDP growth was -1.6% (contracted)

World Bank chief economist says “pretty skeptical” global and US economies can avoid a recession.

In case you missed it listen to the recording of the twitter space covering how to trade stocks in Kenya, important dates for dividends, and bonds here https://t.co/1MJywCxMiX

Jambojet tickets have gone up by 8% after jetfuel prices hit a high of Sh148 a liter — Business Daily

EABL stock rebounded yesterday with a price gain of 9% closing at Sh119.50. The price change added Sh7.5 billion to its market cap. — Business Daily

Kansai Paint (Owns Sadolin Paint brand) has been bought by global paints and coating company, Akzo Nobel.

World bank to spend Sh390 million to give 1.3 million Kenyans solar power and clean cooking solutions by July next year. — Business Daily

CMA is currently investigating Kakuzi over allegations of shifting profits abroad and corporate governance issues. — Business Daily

Absa has signed a deal with Visa to allow instant transfer of funds overseas. — Business Daily

Sudanese army has launched a large-scale attack on Ethiopian troops remaining inside disputed border area of Al Fashaga following alleged executions of Sudanese soldiers

Let’s talk. What is the most high value investing or business decision you have made so far this year?

US to prohibit importation of Russian gold in latest sanctions. — Reuters

National Oil will from August import 30% of the country’s monthly petroleum requirements.

Kenya has sealed deal for cheaper Saudi fuel. State-owned National Oil Corporation of Kenya will from August start shipping fuel from Saudi Arabia at lower prices than the global rates. — Nation

G7 countries to start a $600 billion global infrastructure initiative to counter China’s push to exert political and commercial influence through massive investments across emerging economies. The United States will spend a total of $200 billion for the program.

The cost of a tray of eggs has jumped to Sh450 from Sh360 two weeks ago. A tray of eggs at Naivas and Quickmart is going for over Sh500

DTB bank says that they will progressively increase dividend payouts in the years ahead. The bank is set to pay Sh3 per share dividend for year ended December 2021. — Business Daily

Individuals and firms interested in leasing government land for commercial farming will need to show proof of financial muscle. This comes after Cabinet approved large-scale commercialization of public land held for agricultural production. — Business Daily

Kenyan traders and manufacturers risk Sh1 million fines if they fail to install and use new ETRs by July 31. The new internet-enabled ETRs track every transaction and update the buyers’ iTax page automatically after each sale. — Business Daily

EACC raided the homes of six top Kenya Power managers yesterday. The six are under investigation for alleged grand corruption. — Business Daily

Fuel prices could lower when National Oil starts importing cheap discounted Saudi Arabian Oil from August. — Business Daily

Minority shareholders say Limuru Tea’s land is worth 23 times more than its currently valued at. At Sh16.2 billion, the valuation of the land alone is worth multiple times the Sh768 million market value of Limuru Tea. — Business Daily

Turkey has already leased 850,000 hectares of land in Sudan where it’s planning to start the project but is looking to lease virgin land in other African countries and South America.

Turkey says it is looking to lease land in Africa for farming grain products. It’s planning to send the produce from leased land to Turkey for processing before exporting. Says it wants to produce in virgin agricultural areas and introduce modern farming methods.

Most significant to commodity markets is: — G7 countries banning importation of Russian gold. — Proposal to limit price of Russian oil. Countries will be allowed to import Russian oil as long as it’s done below the price they will set.

— Ukraine President told G7 leaders that he wants the war with Russia to end by end of year before winter sets in according to EU diplomats. — US to send Ukraine advanced missile defense systems and ammunitions.

Geopolitics: — Russia has defaulted on foreign debt for the first time since 1918. — Russia says it doesn’t not accept that it defaulted because it’s payments are being blocked by Euroclear. — G7 countries say they are determined to reduce Russia’s revenues including from Gold.

Zimbabwe will also for the second time in more than a decade legalize use of the US dollar. The US dollar will be used parallel to the Zimbabwe dollar.

Zimbabwe has raised interest rate to a record high of 200% from 80% in bid to curb inflation and stabilize foreign exchange. The interest rate is by far the highest in the world. — Bloomberg

IMF says the delay in timing of the anticipated financing “could be mitigated by securing alternative sources of financing”.

Kenya may need to find alternative sources to finance current budget due to delay by the IMF to approve Shs 28 billion loan. No reason provided for the delay by the IMF. Kenya had included the amount in budget for financial year ending this month. — Bloomberg

Tanzania has doubled export permit costs. The permit now costs Sh52,000 per truck. The move currently contributing to maize shortage in Kenya. This is likely to lead to a new trade war between Kenya and Tanzania — Business Daily

Telkom Kenya to launch mobile loans service similar to M-Shwari on its T-Kash product. — Business Daily

The World Bank’s private investment arm, IFC, has doubled its total investment in Equity bank to Sh52.8 billion. It’s Equity’s second largest shareholder and its biggest lender. — Business Daily

Proparco, a French soveriegn wealth fund, has acquired Sh3.7 billion stake in Naivas. Proparco will be joining two other funds to jointly acquire a 40% stake in Naivas. If the three funds are contributing equal amounts, it values Naivas at Sh27.8 billion. — Business Daily

“If you offer affordable food with low margins, you can probably pay employees only minimum wage. And you’ll need to squeeze out every efficiency: that’s why restaurants put grandma to work at the register and make kids wash dishes” https://t.co/3MLu5DZ8Fq

Billionaire Peter Thiel on restaurant start-ups: “When you (as an entrepreneur) hear that most new restaurants fail within one or two years, your instinct would be to come up with a story about how yours is different”.. “instead of considering if it’s true” — Zero to One https://t.co/YQrkgCNdn4

KENHA has announced the closure of the Mlolongo Toll station exit after a motorist crashed into it and ran over other vehicles that were being cleared to exit. The over-speeding vehicle’s driver died on the spot while two passengers got serious injuries. https://t.co/lfNFc8bouL

Kenya is spearheading push to have regional mobile operators cut roaming charges to boost integration and modernization. The goal is to eliminate roaming charges in Africa within 8 years. — The East African

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Let’s talk. What was the biggest sacrifice you made to get to where you are at today?

Zimbabwe Central Bank is planning to double its key benchmark interest to 190% which will be by far the highest in the world. Says it has ‘decided to bite the bullet’. Inflation hit 191.6% in June. — Bloomberg

Kenya to begin rehabilitating the 127km Voi-Taveta metre gauge railway line to serve the Kenya Ports Authority inland container depot at Taveta on border with Tanzania. — The East African

Safaricom should really improve M-PESA security. This is unacceptable. https://t.co/eyILvO9yrP

Source: https://t.co/aiD8BLgrJf

Number of Kenyans taking loans to meet daily needs has risen sharply due to inflation. World Bank and KNBS survey data showed number of Kenyans taking loans to raise income increased to 55% in March from 13% in February. — The East African

What felled Kune, ultimately, was an overly ambitious business model that needed much more capital than Kune could raise. And the model was too fragile perhaps to withstand rapidly changing economic conditions. Perhaps delivering high-quality ~$3 meals was never a realistic plan.

Kune’s lead investor says: A pitch deck Kune was circulating before its demise put its gross margins at 48%. Recent spikes in food and other costs were squeezing those margins down toward 5%. This meant Kune either had to jack up its prices, cut costs, or raise money fast.

Equity Bank Group to invest Shs 12 billion in construction of Kigali Financial Towers. The towers will host Kigali International Financial Center intended to host key financial institutions including global investment banks. — The East African

*streamlining of imports using single window system such that importers interact with only one platform to import stuff rather than eight different agencies is bound to help imports

Streaming of imports to save the economy $150 million to $250 million annually. New law makes Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) a one-stop Customs release center and offers electronic trade transactions. — The East African

In Kenya, 8 of 10 youths are convinced the country is on the wrong track ;Young African Survey 2022 — The East African

Kenya is primarily a rental market due to unaffordability of home ownership. Only about 20% of Kenyans living in urban areas own their homes. — The East African

Non-performing mortgage loans increased to Sh28.3 billion from Sh27.8 billion the year before. The average interest rate charged on mortgages increased to 11.3% from 10.9% — The East African

Kenyan property market facing uncertain times over falling investments and reduced demand for home ownership due to inflation. House prices reduced by 4% in October to December 2021. — The East African

Russia is looking to sell more oil in Africa as Europe continues to reduce imports from the country. Russia has been shipping oil products to Senegal, Sudan, Ivory Coast and Togo. — The East African

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has taken over chairmanship of the Commonwealth for the next two years. — The East African

7.30pm, invite your friends, grab a drink, and join the conversation. https://t.co/XY0u1MCYHX

Keroche CEO says the tax deal she signed with KRA to pay taxes in installments was done under duress. Says installments were to high and it was unrealistic to pay such huge amounts shortly after reopening. — Business Daily

Naivas accepting to invite external experts and selling stake in the family business to large private equity funds was probably the best decision it could have ever made. Especially at a time it’s peers were collapsing.

With stock prices declining daily it is getting harder and harder to keep sane about investing. Join todays discussion at 7.30pm and lets consider how to prosper during an economic recession. https://t.co/Ubrg4dstlc

Naivas Supermarket has made Shs 101 billion in revenues in financial year ending this month. Naivas expects to make Shs 117 billion in next financial year.

Mauritian conglomerate, IBL Group, says the stake it has bought in Naivas is the biggest investment it has ever made in its history. IBL did not disclose the value of the transaction. — Business Daily

Consortium comprising of World Bank’s IFC and French private equity fund Amethis have sold 30% stake in Naivas Supermarket to investors led by Mauritian conglomerate IBL Group. World Bank and its partners had paid Shs 6 billion for the 30% stake in 2020. — Business Daily

Bad news for football live streamers after Multichoice won a court case that will compel Safaricom to block content on over 141 websites that host content owned by DSTV. This is the first time the court ordered has blocking of websites over copyright. — Business Daily

Cost of maize flour to remain high with millers struggling to import maize after transport costs per bag from Malawi and Zambia skyrocket to Sh1500 leading to a landed cost of Sh6000 per bag. — Business Daily

Vivo Energy to open 20 more fuel stations across the country before end of year , a move that will cement its dominance in the market. The Shell brand owner is the largest oil marketer in the market. — Business Daily

Vivo energy has raised market share to 26.52% up from 21.7% last year. It is the first time a single company has over a quarter of local petroleum sales. The growth was due to the oil shortage that hit small dealers forcing motorists to flood larger stations. — Business Daily

A UK investment firm has spent Sh108 million to buy 71% stake in Great Lakes Graphite. Great Lakes plans to begin rare earth mining in Homabay which contains lots of cerium, lanthanum and neodymium which are major inputs in magnets used for electric vehicles and turbines. — BD

A case of Kune: It is still mysterious how Kune burnt through Sh100 million given it had only 90 employees in its seven outlets. Further, they were selling cheap to make meals such as rice & beans at over Sh350 per meal. It shut down after failing to raise Sh409.5 million.

The president refused to assent the HELB amendment bill because it proposed that beneficiaries would start repaying their loans when they secure jobs, a change that sought to save millions of unemployed graduates from monthly fines. — Business Daily

Cost of foreign travel set to increase as EU now requires Kenyan passengers to obtain Schengen transit visa when connecting flights through Europe. The transit visa costs Sh10,500 (€80) — Business Daily

Manufacturing sector’s non performing loans jumped to Sh77.8 billion for the first quarter of the year accounting for nearly half of all bad loans. The sector was faced with high cost of raw materials and shipping and lack of access to dollars to pay suppliers. — Business Daily

Expect more lay-offs from companies in coming months. US raising rates means cheap funding will dry up and it will be increasingly more expensive for companies to raise capital. That coupled with rising cost of living.

Netflix has laid off 300 employees today as revenue growth slows. This is in addition to 150 employees laid off in May. Says it wants to keep costs growing in line with slowing revenues.

Higher yields means investors are pricing in a higher risk of debt default and makes it more expensive for Kenya to borrow in international markets.

Yield on Kenya’s 2024 Eurobond has rises by more than 10% (1000 bps) since start of the year to 15%. 2032 Eurobonds are up 5.75%.

NCBA CEO says dollar shortage driven by significant increase in cost of goods globally. Says there is a need to make it more valuable to hold the shilling vs holding the dollar. — Capital FM

Equity Bank top shareholder, Arise B.V., has acquired additional 29 million shares in the bank raising its ownership to 12.76% from 11.99%. Arise BV is backed by Rabobank and sovereign wealth funds, FMO and Norfund. — Business Daily

Let’s talk. Which is your best place to get loans?

Today’s Banks Rates: NBK is selling dollars at Sh126.85 DTB is selling dollars at Sh126.2 NCBA is selling dollars at Sh125.95

KRA has vowed not to reopen Keroche breweries over Sh22 billion tax bill — Business Daily

Safaricom share price is still declining. Its now selling at at Sh23.45 per share.

Tea exports grew 20% in the first quarter of the year to hit Sh41.1 billion. The tea fetched Sh303 per kilo on average. — Business Daily

Amaco insurance to be auctioned after it failed to pay Sh19 million debt to an NGO — Business Daily

Kune Food to shut down Kenyan operation after failing to raise more funds. At its peak it was selling 400 meals a day.

https://t.co/98VVVtKZOL

Sports Department says it has exhausted its funding allocations and thus has asked sports federations to seek alternative sources to sponsor sports events. The Kenyan Rugby team is begging Kenyans to donate towards helping it compete in its next match.

Kenya Railways has begun rehabilitating 127 km Voi-Taveta railway line which has not been operational in over 20 years. Once rehabilitated it will be linked to SGR for ferrying cargo from Mombasa port to Holili in Kenya-Tanzania boarder. — Business Daily

Over 50,000 United Kingdom (UK) railway workers went on strike over low wages and high inflation leading to chaos as commuters scrambled to find other means of transport around the country. — Business Daily

Rivatex , the Eldoret based textile manufacturer, says its operating below capacity over cotton shortage. Its receiving 3,000 bales of lint against a capacity of 20,000 monthly. — Business Daily

KBA house price index reveals that the average price of a house in high market segment- Spring Valley, Riverside,Milimani,Runda,Karen -is Sh21 million as at end of 2021. Houses in other parts of Nairobi averaged below Sh10 million. — Business Daily

Uber is expanding to Kisumu, Naivasha, Elementaita and Gilgil. — Business Daily

KRA officers to start using bodycams in a bid to reduce misconduct among staff. — Business Daily

Kenyans risk Sh20,000 fine or up to 6 months in jail for not separating organic waste from recyclable waste when disposing trash. Counties to license and regulate private garbage collectors. — Business Daily

Kwale Sugar to get Sh32 billion from Treasury as damages over lease of 15,000 acres of land for sugarcane farming. The court was forced to award damages after AG failed to respond in time. — Business Daily

Treasury set to borrow Sh846 billion for year starting July 1. The country’s current debt stands at Sh8.6 trillion. — Business Daily

Senate has approved proposal to raise debt ceiling to Sh10 trillion. Only three UDA senators voted to reject it. — Business Daily

The Competition Authority is raiding to top steel manufacturers to secure evidence that confirms price fixing. The cost of building materials has risen over 100% in the last year. Driving up construction costs. — Business Daily

Kenya Airways intends buy 40 flying taxis from Eve UAM ,Brazil. These 4 passenger units suitable for very short trips are selling at about Sh327 million each. — Business Daily

President Kenyatta declined three parliamentary bills among them the Information Communication Technology Practitioners Bill; Insurance Professionals Registration Bill of 2020; and Higher Education Loans Bill of 2020, all sent back to Parliament with memoranda. – CS Mucheru

Namibia announces its biggest oil discovery since independence estimated at 4 billion barrels (worth over $400 billion). Namibia is an $11 billion economy and at peak expects to be earning $5.6 billion. — Bloomberg

Kenya has about 4 million crypto-investors. — Business Daily

Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia to become China’s main source of oil. It has increased oil imports from Russia by over 55% — Business Daily

Schools across the country have been rationing and changing their food menus due to rising cost of food and supply disruptions. Some schools have stopped co-curriculum activities so that they can save funds for food. — Business Daily

KRA to auction 193 cars at Mombasa port today for failure of the owners have failed to pay taxes. This could decongest the port and its warehouses. — Business Daily

3-5 people will get to share 100GB data under new data package by Telkom Kenya that costs Sh1,500 monthly — Business Daily

Failing to adhere to mandatory wearing of masks in all indoor meetings could lead to fines of up to Sh20,000 or 6 months in jail The mask mandate was reintroduced after positivity rate increased to 12.5% yesterday. — Business Daily

Cost of a 2kg maize flour crossed Sh200 this week, the highest in Kenya’s history on maize shortage. The price is up by Sh50 in one week. — Business Daily

Kenya Health CS has announced return of mandatory mask-wearing in PSVs, flights, offices, supermarkets and places of worship. Says Covid-19 numbers are worryingly high and if the trajectory continues, elections might be affected. — Nation

Greece is offering its citizens subsidies of between 30-50% to help households replace old fridges and air conditioners in order to cut down on power bills due to soaring energy prices. — Reuters

Tanzania has secured $1.1 billion (TShs 2.6 trillion) from the IMF to support economic recovery.

Germany’s producer price inflation hit 33% in May. This is the highest increase since the start of the statistic in 1949.

Keroche lays off over 400 employees after KRA closed down the company over unpaid taxes – The Star

Bank exchange rates: NCBA is buying US Dollars at Sh112.50 and selling at Sh125.55 National Bank buying US Dollars at Sh107.90 and selling at Sh120.80

East African Community leaders in Nairobi today for meeting convened by Kenya President to discuss security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. — The East African

Kenya set to sign deal on July 5 with Somalia that will reopen miraa (khat) market for Kenyan exporters.

Newly launched I&M wealth management unit has gained over Sh700 million in assets under management from 45 new customers since launch in July 2021 — Business Daily

Treasury is sitting on unused Sh9.7 billion Covid-19 emergency response fund despite surge in infections leading to positivity rate hitting 12.5% on Friday. — Business Daily

PSV operators across the country have increased matatu fares by 20% on increased fuel prices. — Business Daily

Kabarak University set to build Sh35 billion mega-hospital in Nakuru county. It will be built on 100-acre land in Kabarak and will be a 500-bed teaching and referral hospital focused on Cancer and research. — Business Daily

What is the most important factor you consider when choosing a bank?

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has suspended release and receipt of import and exports from some shipping lines overpayments dispute. KPA says its owed billions by Kenya Railways Corporation and some shipping lines. — The East African

Invitation to contribute troops to the East African Standby Force has been extended beyond traditional East African Community countries to other regional countries like Ethiopia. The force will seek to disarm Congo rebels who refuse to dialogue with Congo govt. — The EA

Ethiopia Tigray (TPLF) rebel leaders say they are ready to dispatch high level delegation, fully mandated and briefed to talks convened and hosted by Kenya government. Ethiopia government to also send its delegation. — The East African

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Bitcoin now below $18,000.

Several routes in Nairobi will see an increase in fares by Sh20 to Sh50. The Matatu Owners Association (MOA) has asked its members countrywide to increase transportation charges saying the fuel increase has made the current fares unsustainable. – Citizen

Ethereum has also now fallen below $1,000.

https://t.co/ZVNYNwLRBM

Bitcoin falls below $20,000 to a low of $19,101.

The EACC says money that went through his M-Pesa amounts to Sh497 million, the properties are worth Sh694.6 million, and the cars are valued at Sh10.5 million. Source: Business Daily

EACC says in court documents that Nicholas Owino Ochiel, who is a senior assistant director of valuation at the Ministry, amassed the millions through corrupt schemes

A land’s ministry employee has been accused by EACC of unexplained Sh 1.2 billion wealth .

This is coming a day after Kenya President called for the East African defense forces to be immediately deployed in support of Congo government.

DR Congo supreme defense council has called for Congo government to suspend all agreements with Rwanda including economic pacts. Says Congo is backing M23 rebels and it’s troops are participating in rebellion against Congo government. — Bloomberg

Earnings from tea exports to Russia declined by Sh598 million in March as volumes drop 74% — Business Daily

Dollar shortage continues due to high demand despite the value of foreign currency deposits in local banks hitting an all-time high of Sh834.5 billion in April — Business Daily

Parliament has approved Laikipia County to borrow Sh1 billion via infrastructure bond. — Business Daily

Importers are experiencing delays in cargo delivery and collection at Mombasa port after payment dispute between KPA and SGR shipping lines. — Business Daily

Kengen has added 83 megawatts of electricity to national grid after connecting Olkaria 1 unit 6. — Business Daily

Energy CS Monica Juma says oil subsidy is unsustainable and is straining government spending. — Business Daily

Kenya’s maize supply from Tanzania has been cut off with over 400 trucks stuck at Namanga border post for lack of export permit. — Business Daily

The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission to monitor public officials, civil servants and lawmakers suspected of theft for 10 years after office. EACC will conduct lifestyle audit if public officer is living beyond lawfully obtained and reported income. — Business Daily

Petrol currently selling at Sh159 without subsidy, it would be Sh184 per litre. Current fuel prices are pegged on the price of crude per barrel at $112.48 and any further rise in cost will see petrol prices hitting record highs by end of the year. — Business Daily

Billionaire Elon Musk has been hit with a $258 billion lawsuit that alleges he “engaged in a crypto pyramid scheme by way of dogecoin cryptocurrency.” — New York Post

Elon Musk has told Twitter staff that he wants at least 1 billion people on Twitter.

Tanzania government is proposing to reduce mobile money transaction fees by 43%. — The Citizen

Anyone noticed significant reduction in traffic everywhere?

The East African Regional Force will be deployed to Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces immediately to stabilize the zone and enforce peace in close coordination with UN peacekeeping force and Congo army.

Preparation for deployment will be finalized at a meeting of regional commanders in Nairobi on Sunday.

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for immediate deployment of a new regional military force to try to stop rebel violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. — Reuters

Unilever says it has changed the ingredient makeup for some of its products like deodorants and packaged food to cut costs amid rising inflation and mitigate supply constraints. — Reuters

MPs and Senators spend on foreign trips increased 775% to a Sh1 billion high. They used trips to boost monthly pay. They earn $1296 per diem a night in allowances for Singapore, $1196 in US, $1108 in London, $1102 in Swiss Cities. — Business Daily

Housing Finance has secured Sh475 million from KMRC at cheap 5.1% for onward lending to home buyers. The funds will help finance home buyers at friendlier rates and for longer periods. — Business Daily

The new government will be forced to float a roads bond within the next few months as pending bills rise 300% to Sh121.5 billion in March. — Business Daily

Uber Kenya set to review prices due to Sh9 per litre rise in fuel price yesterday. — Business Daily

KRA is collecting Sh62.89 on every litre of petrol It is the main beneficiary of increase in pump prices, making Sh22.9 billion in June alone. — Business Daily

Senate set to approve bill this afternoon that will restrict Kenyans from knowing the wealth of public officials. — Business Daily

The Nairobi Securities exchange has lost Sh627.5 billion of investor wealth since the beginning of the year. The value of all stocks stood at Sh1.95 trillion, the lowest point in 19-years. — Business Daily

This is the biggest increase since 1994

US has raised interest rates by 0.75% in bid to combat inflation.

South Africa says it is considering buying Russian oil to curb steep fuel prices: Energy minister — Bloomberg

International Energy Agency (IEA) says global oil supply with struggle to meet rising demand next year. — FT

Petrol prices would have been higher by Shs 26 and diesel by Shs 48 without subsidies.

Expect fuel prices to increase further when government starts eliminating subsidies.

Kenya Finance Minister says the country will gradually eliminate fuel subsidies by adjusting domestic prices possibly within financial year that starts next month. Says subsidies could escalate public debt to unsustainable levels. — Reuters

Ethiopian Ambassador to Russia says Ethiopia would connect to the international payment system created by Russia if China or Turkey participate in its establishment. Says it would also be suitable for Africa. — Kommersant (Russian Daily Newspaper)

Coca-Cola says it will delay public listing of Coca-cola Beverages Africa until 2023 due to current market conditions. — Bloomberg

Kenyan millers to import 1.5 million 90-kilo bags of wheat in the next 10 days to ease local shortage. — Business Daily

Crown Paints Shareholders who took up the rights units got a capital gain of Sh2.38 billion (334%) after share price rises to Sh43.40 Crown Paints market value has increased by Sh4.2 billion since the firm issued a rights issue last year. — Business Daily

Counties to receive Sh5.2 billion for leasing of medical equipment despite counties lacking specialized staff, space and power to operate them. Each county to get Sh110 million for leasing medical equipment. — Business Daily

Kenya Re unable to benefit from its land investments due to disputes and security concerns. KAA has locked it out from Sh720 million land near JKIA. Its in dispute over Sh563 million Kiambu Rd. property. Kenya Forest Service is claiming its Sh350 million Ngong Rd. property. -BD

Microfinance banks in Kenya have hit their sixth year of consecutive losses. Faulu, Maisha, and Rafiki took the largest loss positions of Sh522 million, Sh178 million and Sh153 million respectively. — Business Daily

Weakening shilling against dollar expected to strongly contribute to high prices of fuel which will lead to further increase in cost of living and inflation. Last month, Oil dealers were buying dollars at Sh118.34 while price of crude oil increased from $94 to $112.5 — BD

Oil marketers might increase cost of fuel further to compensate for forex exchange rates. Last month EPRA was compensating them at Sh116 per litre compared to the Sh118 per litre they were buying the dollars from banks at exposing them to loses of Sh2 per litre — Business Daily

KRA expects to beat its revenue collection target by up to Sh140 billion on enhanced tax enforcement and recovery measures. Its current target is Sh1.8 trillion — Business Daily

More bad news on this 1. These fuel prices include government subsidies and fuel subsidy budget was cut by 84% for year starting next month. 2. International oil prices are still rising. Brace yourself for higher cost of living.

Prices of Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene to increase by Shs 9 per liter respectively effective today midnight.

KRA has shut down Keroche Breweries in renewed tax dispute. More than 400 workers affected. — The Standard

Oil prices continuing to rise will make it more expensive to maintain fuel subsidies raising chances of prices at the pump continuing to increase.

Brent Oil rising, now trading above $124.60 a barrel. Approaching highest price since start of Ukraine-Russia war.

Metropol TV, a niche media house that focuses on business news has announced that it will be laying off journalists in the coming days. Intends to remain with lean team expected to reduce cost of running its operations.

Kenya and Nigeria have been heavily involved in the peace negotiations behind the scenes with former Nigeria president being said to have met both Ethiopia government and TPLF rebel leaders.

Prospects of peace in Ethiopia is good news for Safaricom which recently made significant investments in the country.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister says federal government has formed a committee to negotiate for peace with northern Tigray region’s forces. – Reuters

Ethiopia Prime Minister says fuel subsidies are draining a vast amount of wealth. Confirms Ethiopia government will begin lifting the subsidies progressively from next month. — Addis Fortune

Nigeria to require social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Tiktok to open offices in Nigeria in proposed law. This comes after Twitter agreed to open offices in Nigeria as part of deal to lift ban on the social media platform. — Reuters

Standard Chartered Bank has revealed that the number of fraud threats doubled to 2,027 in 2021 compared to 1,018 in 2020. Top fraud threats were card fraud and payment fraud through social engineering schemes. — Business Daily

Crown Paint’s largest shareholder has increased ownership by 4.6% to 66.7% by buying 6.5 million shares during rights issue. — Business Daily

Kakuzi’s parent company to pay final instalment of Sh175 million as part of a Sh1 billion settlement for human rights abuses at Kakuzi in Kenya and EPM in Malawi. — Business Daily

Kenyan bank’s average lending rate rose to 12.2% in April – the highest level since January 2020 — Business Daily

Uganda is accusing Kenya of reintroducing tax on imports of eggs at Kshs 72 per tray. The tax had been suspended last December to avoid trade wars and allow for bilateral negotiations. — The East African

Bitcoin falls below $21,000.

Drop in stocks in the index largely driven by central banks’ move to tighten monetary conditions in bid to combat rising inflation.

MSCI all-country world stock index that tracks nearly 3,000 stocks in 48 developed and emerging market countries is now down more than 20% from record close in November 2021.

The two companies have for long resisted canning the popular cocktail for years, but are doing it now in response to changing global business dynamics

Coca-Cola and Jack Daniel’s to start selling Jack and Coke canned ready to drink cocktail.

National Bank has appointed it’s Finance Director,Peter Kioko, as it’s new acting Managing Director.

Cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, says it has temporarily paused Bitcoin withdrawals due to “stuck transaction causing backlog”.

If income doesn’t keep up with cost of living, then you would need to cut down on lifestyle.

Inflation can complicate retirement plans. If last year you needed Shs 50k every month to live the life you wanted and prices of the things you use every day doubled, you will now need 100k for the same kind of lifestyle. Your income needs to keep up with the cost of living.

Bitcoin now under $24,000 at $23,523.

Bitcoin falls to below $25,000. Celsius Network, one of the biggest crypto lenders, has halted withdrawals.

Cytonn HYS has failed to suspend a court order allowing arbitration between it and one aggrieved investor. Cytonn had argued that it has more than 3,500 investors and the orders may trigger an avalanche of similar applications for arbitration proceedings. — Business Daily

UBA bank drops court case over Uchumi’s Langata Road land over Sh172 million debt after it emerged that government was compulsorily acquiring the land and UBA would be paid first since it holds title to property — Business Daily

Banks have been bypassing auctioneers to cut costs of enforcing collections of amounts due to them. Auctioneers say this is illegal — Business Daily

Directors of Perl Beach Hotels, the owners of English Point Marina, have been blocked from accessing bank accounts at DTB bank pending hearing of an application filed by KCB bank. KCB had earlier seized the hotel for defaulting on Sh4.8 billion loan. — Business Daily

Kenya Ports Authority has been revealed to have bought locally made staff uniforms and overalls, but declared items as imported from Canada at three times more. KPA overpaid the supplier by Sh30 million for the overalls. — Business Daily

Kenya to cut marketing spend in Italy, Switzerland and Japan due to lower share captured and slow annual growth. The freed funds will be directed to marketing Kenya in China, UAE, Saudi Arabia. Tourism promotion and marketing activities have Sh1 billion budget — Business Daily

Unilever has also been accused of delaying over Sh100 million annually owed to Limuru Tea effectively granting itself interest-free loans with an indefinite settlement period. Source: Business Daily.

Unilever has also been accused of selling inputs such as fertilizer and labour to Limuru Tea at exorbitant prices and is the only buyer of the company’s tea leaves at prices often below those offered at Mombasa auction.

Joe Wanjui’s petition to CMA accuses Unilever of impropriety in Limuru Tea: Unilever is accused of undue influence on the board of Limuru tea with six of eight board members being current or former employees or past directors of Unilever, a breach of corporate governance rules.

Billionaire Joe Wanjui ,who owns 25% of Limuru Tea, has moved to court to block Unilever from selling its 52% stake in Limuru Tea currently valued at Sh443 million to a foreign private equity fund — Business Daily

CBK says it’s committed to keeping a free-floating exchange rate despite continued weakening of the Kenyan shilling. The IMF recommends that it keeps doing so. — Business Daily

Electricity bills to remain high after sources reveal that Ministry of Energy is yet to open talks with “big” IPPs on cutting power prices. Kenya has also not provided a budget for the promised second 15% cut. — Business Daily

China’s military general, Wei, says China will fight to the end if anyone tries to secede Taiwan from China. Says China relationship with United States is at critical juncture.

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has launched Web5 a new platform that levelages the best features of both Web2 and Web3

Which Kenyan sector is likely to have the highest returns in the next 5 years

Botswana Stock Exchange and Ghana Stock Exchange have joined African Exchanges linkage project bringing number of participating countries to 9. The project seeks to promote cross-border trading and liquidity. — The East African

Uganda President says the country has attained middle income status at a GDP per capita of $1,046. — The East African

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Despite repeated denials by TPLF and Ethiopia government, there have been frequent reports of talks in Kenya, the Seychelles and Nigeria.

Ethiopia government and TPLF rebel group said to be resolving war in Northern Ethiopia peaceful. There is speculation that telephone, electricity, banking and other services would be allowed in Tigray in the next few weeks. — Ethiopian Reporter

Ethiopia’s inflation rises to 37.2% in May from 36.6% in April.

IMF says governments should allow high global prices to pass through to domestic economy. Says it’s less costly to protect vulnerable households than keeping prices artificially low for everyone irrespective of their ability to pay. — The East African

Tanzania has signed framework agreement with Norway’s Equinor and Britain’s Shell that will bring closer the start of construction of a $30 billion (Kshs3.5 trillion) liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal. — Reuters

Tanzania already uses some of its natural gas discoveries for power generation and to run manufacturing plants. It also plans to build a fertiliser plant.

Tanzania President has ordered authorities to set aside between 70,000 and 100,000 hectares for cultivation of sunflower and palm oil to end shortage of edible oil facing the country. — The East African

Centum Investments is considering re-investing proceeds of the sale of its shares in Sidian Bank in treasury bonds in attempt to recover losses incurred in the transaction and improve cashflows. — The East African

Construction of the first phase of Kenya free trade zone — Dongo Kundu special economic zone — at the port of Mombasa will start in July after Kenya signed agreement with Japan’s JICA to undertake the project. — The East African

US inflation at multi-year high of 8.6%. Dollar surging on the news.

Embarrassing that Africa has so much arable land and resources but imports a lot from outside the continent.

US says it is working to get grains out of Ukraine into world market which will help ease food crisis in Africa. African countries import more than 40% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine. — Bloomberg

Parliament has passed controversial ICT bill that will require IT practitioners to be registered by the Professional Body Institution of ICT Practitioners. IT practitioners will also be required to have a degree and pay to renew their license yearly. — Techweez

China-based phone maker, Tecno mobile, says it will launch new mobile money wallet service in Kenya to allow customers to make payments to small businesses and retailers. — Business Daily

Millers’ association says half of small-scale millers have shut down their businesses due to lack of maize. They also lack financial muscle to import. Large scale processors also not milling continuously as they should. Move likely to see increase in flour prices. — BD

Japan Central Bank, Japan’s Ministry of Finance and Financial Services Agency issue joint statement saying they are concerned by recent rapid weakening of their Japanese Currency, Yen.

National Treasury says it’s time the insurance industry consolidated and would rather have fewer stronger players rather than current situation where insurers lack sufficient capital to operate.

National treasury says it will allow the Insurance Regulatory Authority to shut down insurers who are not complying with new stricter capital requirements introduced in June 2020. — Business Daily

Mastercard, Qatar Holding, Chimera Investment and The Rise Fund invested Shs 64.2 billion in the Airtel Africa mobile money business.

Airtel Africa has sold 25.77% stake in local mobile money business as part of deal valuing Airtel Africa mobile money business at Shs 250 billion. — Business Daily

Pwani oil says supply consignment coming mid-month will also be dependent on dollar supply for cargo to be released. Says oil supply currently in the market is what it had produced months earlier.

Pwani Oil says it is anticipating shortage of oil products if current situation persists. Says it is currently not running its plant due to shortage of supplies. Says it is only expecting one supply consignment mid-month and won’t get another until end of July.

Pwani Oil says it is only able to source $500,000 to $1000,000 a day against a requirement of $2 million to $2.5 million, making it difficult to pay for supplies. Says Indonesia is also restricting oil exports which is creating supply issues. — Business Daily

Last year Kenya borrowed at 6%, the rate has since doubled. Likely to seek shorter-term loans from banks will lower rates.

Kenya has cancelled issuance of Shs 115 billion in Eurobonds after it received bids of 12% on the dollar loans. It will instead borrow dollar loans from commercial banks. — Business Daily

Ethiopian currency, Birr, black market rate is at 82 down 26% since start of month. Official rate is at 52. Surging inflation and shortage of dollars is driving up dollar black market rate. — Bloomberg

Armed forces of Democratic Republic of Congo have accused Rwanda of sending 500 special forces in green-black uniform disguise into Congolese territory. — Reuters

Speakers in virtual meeting that included Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) Chair argued the prevailing crisis is more of a dollar pricing issue by banks rather than an acute shortage of dollars at the marketplace.

Meeting between Central Bank and private sector tentatively set for Friday.

Players in motor vehicle and travel industry say they are also struggling to access US dollars from their banks. Dollar shortage also said to cause Euro and Japanese yen shortage. — Citizen TV

Low demand has led Kenya Railways to switch to night trains only on its Nairobi-Kisumu route. — Business Daily

New study shows that primary school pupils at Bridge International Academies, Kenya after two years are nearly a whole additional year of learning ahead of children taught using standard methods. — Business Daily

Tanzania central bank says it will for the first time allow residents of East African and Southern African trade blocs to invest in its Treasury bonds and bills. Law effecting the change was gazetted in May. — Reuters

Kenya Power has opened a Sh340 million live line laboratory to test equipment. The laboratory may help cut revenue losses from outages by allowing live line repairs without switching off customers. — Business Daily

Kenya’s six Eurobonds have risen sharply in the past few weeks to trade above 10% in the secondary market making it expensive to issue bonds.

Treasury PS says the government is concerned about high yields on Eurobonds and will explore alternatives for borrowing to plug the budget deficit. — Business Daily

NCA wants the construction levy reinstated, saying the 0.5% rate will boost its ability to enforce standards. — Business Daily

Parliament says treasury should help recover Sh7.5 billion owed by Kenya Airways to Kenya Airports authority. — Business Daily

ICT CS Joe Mucheru wants schools to cut costs by leasing digital devices as opposed to buying them. — Business Daily

Safaricom says technical hitches have delayed rollout of the plan to block contact details when paying via Lipa na M-Pesa. — Business Daily

CBK says it will start regulating financial super apps such as M-Pesa app and Little. Super apps offer ecommerce, loans, insurance, investing etc. within the same platform. — Business Daily

PayPal to begin supporting the transfer of cryptocurrencies between PayPal and other wallets and exchanges.

Bread manufacturers say supermarkets are overpricing their bread above recommended retail prices so that they can sell their own in-house bread cheaper. Say they are already giving supermarkets margins way above what manufacturers of other products offer. — Business Daily

High Court has stopped Kenya Revenue Authority from demanding from Churches tax on tithes, donations and offerings. Court says churches do not need to seek tax exemption certificates. — Business Daily

Cooking oil prices expected to hike after Kapa Oil, maker of Rina vegetable oil, has revealed that it is operating below capacity due to dollar scarcity and inability to access raw material. — Business Daily

Sidian and Access bank Kenya to be merged to create the largest Tier 3 Bank in Kenya with a combined Sh57 billion in assets and Sh26.6 billion loanbook. — Business Daily

Parliament has increased the public debt ceiling to Sh10 trillion. — Business Daily

Nigeria’s largest bank, Access Bank, to acquire 83.4% of Sidian Bank Kenya from Centum Investments for Sh4.3 billion — Business Daily

Move meant to cut on waste and increase convenience for consumers.

European Union has agreed to force all companies — most notably Apple — to make smartphones, tablets and digital cameras with common USB-C chargers.

Fitch Ratings is forecasting that Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tunisia will record budget and current account deficits of at least 7% this year. Says financial conditions will be challenging due to slowing global growth, rising US interest rates, strong dollar and high inflation.

The affordable concrete emergency shelters will be capable of disassembly, reuse and recycling.

Bamburi Cement’s Parent company Holcim and Norman Foster Foundation are working on a concept for building 1,000 units and a medical facility in one day using low-carbon concrete. This is after Holcim and Bamburi built Africa’s largest 3D-printed housing project in Kenya Kilifi.

Local steel manufacturer, Jumbo Steel Mill, has invested Sh2 billion in a new mattress and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water tank factory in Kisumu. The plant will run 100% on 700kw solar power. – Capital FM

World Bank is forecasting Kenya’s economy to grow 5.5% this year from 7.5% in 2021. Expects high commodity prices will increase import costs, while the projected slowdown in global growth will soften the demand for Kenyan exports.

Britam has committed to support the fund in fulfilling its obligations.

Britam set aside additional Shs 2billion in 2021 to absorb losses from Britam Wealth Management whose cash outflows are expected to be higher than what can be met by the firm’s existing assets. Brings total cash set aside to Shs 7.2 billion. — Business Daily

Court of Appeal has reinstated PVR Rao as Mumias Sugar receiver managers. The appeal was supported by KCB and Sarrai Group of Uganda which says it has already contracted farmers for sugarcane farming. — Business Daily

7/n Housing Finance group is currently trading at Sh3 per share Source: Business Daily

6/n Housing finance in its latest annual report says it has engaged the CBK on its multiple regulatory breaches and its management is taking actions. It is among nine institutions that were flagged by CBK for non-compliance last year.

5/n Housing Finance plans to sell Rehani House in Nairobi CBD by the end of year in a transaction it says will boost core capital and generate a one off gain. It is also seeking to covert some of its borrowings into teir 2 capital and is opening talks with new equity investors.

3/n A bank should not lend over 20% of core capital to a single insider, such as a director or shareholder. Housing Finance’s single insider ratio stood at 66% as of December.

4/n Besides breaking banking rules, Housing finance has been going against covenants it has signed with multiple lenders including Shelter Afrique, East African development bank, and European Investment Bank. HF has received temporary waivers for some of these covenant breaches.

2/n A bank must not lend more than 25% of its core capital to one borrower (single obligor). Housing Finance’s single obligor ratio stood at 40% as of December.

1/n BREAKING: Housing Finance has been revealed to be breaching multiple CBK capital and lending rules. It has been engaging in extremely risky lending despite lacking sufficient capital.

Fuel prices expected to rise sharply by October after current fuel subsidy of Sh5 billion allocated for the year starting next month runs out. The fuel subsidy has been reduced by 84% which is expected to lead to a political headache for the next government. — Business Daily

Pwani Oil has been asking its customers to pay using dollars at a rate of Sh121 per dollar. It needs the dollars so that it can pay for the palm oil imports it needs to make cooking oil. — Business Daily https://t.co/o57jenhGyX

Twitter shares fall more than 5% after Elon Musk says he may terminate deal to buy Twitter if Twitter doesn’t provide information on fake/spam accounts.

Ethiopia has outlawed use of Bitcoin and other virtual assets. Threatens to hold accountable anyone involved in cryptocurrency and virtual assets transactions.

Beyond the headline: — Likely that there are other companies going through similar issues as Pwani Oil. — Importers may also start buying more dollars in advance in anticipation of continued shortage, worsening the issue. — Could damage importers relationship with suppliers.

Parliament’s Finance Committee is proposing to remove requirement for local vehicle assemblers who qualify for tax incentives to source 30% of parts from manufacturers operating in Kenya. Also proposes to exempt local vehicle assemblers from VAT and excise tax. — BD

AfDB to lend Sh17.5 billion to construction of Nairobi-Nakuru highway. This is 10% of the Sh180 billion needed for the project. — Business Daily

Kenyan tech companies raised Sh56.3 billion in January-March 2022 period. — Business Daily

Parliament to debate an extra 20% excise tax on digital loans that if approved looks set to hurt thousands of borrowers. — Business Daily

Safaricom is still trading slightly above its 52-week low. At Sh26.20 per share, it is trading at 15 times its earnings

Pwani Oil, maker of Fresh Fri, Salit and Fry Mate cooking oils, has temporarily shut down its oil plant because it has been unable to access enough dollars to import the raw materials it needs. — Business Daily

Parliament’s Public Investments Committee wants EACC to investigate Energy ministry as to why Kengen was denied approval to connect ready Geothermal wells worth Sh79 billion and 447 MW to the national grid. Why buy from IPPs when these wells remain idle? — Business Daily

Israeli Prime Minister has told the UN nuclear watchdog that it is ready to use its “right to self-defense” to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons.

Angola’s biggest bank, Banko BAI, has raised $94 million (Kshs 11b) in the country’s first every initial public offering. It sold 10% of its shares. — Bloomberg

Increase in capital gain tax by three times will impact on sale of properties as sellers will have to pay more taxes. May potentially also impact on companies holding significant amounts of unrealized gains on the properties through increase in deferred tax expenses.

Additional items lawmakers agreed on: — Bioethanol stoves, fertilizer, and maize flour to be exempted from VAT. — No change on excise tax on beer

Kenya Lawmakers have agreed: — Capital gain tax increase from 5% to 15% should be approved. — Imported Cell phones should be taxed at 10% in excise duty. — 20% tax on digital lender’s fees. — 7.5% tax on gaming, betting, prize competition and lottery. : Bloomberg

The UN Security Council has urged all domestic armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to lay down their arms. Urges them to unconditionally participate in dialogue initiated by Kenya and DR Congo presidents.

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Kenya had indicated it would issue its Eurobond in June. Cost of issuing debt in international markets expected to increase as the US and other developed countries increase rates in a bid to fight rising inflation.

Nigeria says it is now planning on managing the situation to make sure it is not exposed to increased costs in 2022. Hopes 2023 will be better.

Nigeria says it has cancelled plans to issue $950m in Eurobonds because it is too expensive to issue in current unfavorable market conditions. — Bloomberg

Russia says it will strike the west if it is hit by a US made rocket. — The Times

Kenya has taken to Senegal suspected Monkeypox samples for testing. Kenya’s testing capacity is limited given the rarity of the disease. Ministry to create budget for testing materials should the tests turn positive. — The East African

Kenya says calls for debt relief by the UN and African Finance Ministers are timely and if heeded would provide a “breathing space”. Says it would help in pandemic recovery and weathering Ukraine war impact. — Business Daily

Tanzania’s CRBD Bank will launch a new bank in DR Congo in October this year. Norway’s Norfund and Denmark Investment Fund will each own 22.5% of the new bank. — The East African

Nairobi Stock Exchange index this week fell below 1700 for the first time in 20 years to a low of 1681.8. Drop driven by foreign investors sell off. — The East African

Kenya is seeking to construct the biggest import and storage gas facility in Mombasa. Plans to also license more private companies in bid compete with Tanzania. It has contracted Pakistani company, Petrochem, to design the 25,000 tonne storage facility. — The Citizen

Ahead of expiry of Kenya deadline to close down Kakuma Refugee camp by June 2022, South Sudan says it’s willing to receive its citizens back into the country. Asks its High Commissioner to directly coordinate with Kenya government on voluntary repatriation.

Users will need to generate a unique number that expires in 30 minutes every time they transact using the MPESA App.

Safaricom and Visa have launched MPESA Global virtual card. Transactions using the card will be subject to Mpesa limits of 150,000 and double that per day. The virtual card will later be introduced in Tanzania, DR Congo, Mozambique, Lesotho and Ghana.

Why Ndovu? 1. You only need a minimum investment of Ksh. 50,000 2. Easy to invest via the app (IOS or Android 3. Zero fee charged to invest 4. Advisory fee (tied to your plan) is taken from your first interest payment https://t.co/41zupej0nV

– Bond 2022/19: The government was looking to raise Ksh. 75 Billion, it received an oversubscription of Ksh. 132.2 Billion and a resulting return rate of 12.965% – Expected return for the current bond on offer 13*% per year (Ndovu estimates).

Here’s an overview of how the Government Infrastructure Bond has performed over the past year. – Bond 2021/021: The government was looking to raise Ksh. 75 Billion, it received an oversubscription of Ksh. 151 Billion and a resulting return rate of 12.737%

A 62-year-old Kenyan poacher has pleaded guilty to involvement in the illegal poaching of 35 rhinos and 100 elephants across seven African countries. He and his accomplices made, Sh865 million in seven years from selling illegal ivory and rhino horns. — Business Daily

MPs are currently debating: -⬇️ Lowering of VAT to 8% on cooking gas. -⬆️ 23.1% increased tax on beer -⬆️ New Sh50 tax per imported SIM card — Business Daily

Foreign investors withdrew Sh4.2 billion from the NSE last month, affecting the stock prices of Safaricom, BAT Kenya and Equity group. Safaricom declined 23% in May, ending the month at Sh26 per share. — Business Daily

Russia plans to resume wheat exports, which could lower the price of wheat locally. Wheat flour now selling at Sh202 from Sh150 in April. — Business Daily

US ambassador nominee billionaire Meg Whitman plans to overturn Chinese dominance by linking American tech giants to local deals. Her big mission will be to help build the country’s tech industry dubbed Silicon Savannah. — Business Daily

Parliament’s public investments committee says the Port of Mombasa should not have been used as collateral for the SGR loan.

In this thread we discuss how the infrastructure bond compares to other bonds, stocks and money market funds. We also discuss how easy it is to sell it to the secondary market and what the government will do with the monies raised. https://t.co/2Gp9CcQ73B

If you loved this thread and would love to see more like it. Please comment below on more questions and other threads you’d want us to do. Join our list here to keep up with our tweets. https://t.co/UPk6cD8bn2

Remember Ndovu is the only place you can get the bond for as little as Sh50,000 and while we wish it wasn’t so you have only today and tomorrow to invest in the bond at https://t.co/ab6DYr3vGP

Q: Why should I take this bond over money market funds? A: Locally, the best-performing ones make around 10.20% which is a measly 8.67% after tax. Compare this to tax-free 13%* from the infrastructure bond.

Q: How does it compare to stocks? A: You can’t perfectly predict the outcome of your share purchases on the other hand you know what exactly to get from your fixed-income portfolio. Even if you prefer stocks, bonds allow you to diversify and reduce risk.

Q: So why should you care about the infrastructure bond? A: The tax-free nature of this bond is its best feature. Let’s say the coupon comes in at 13%. Then it would be equivalent to a taxable bond with a coupon of 14.30%. No current issued bond has such a high coupon. None.

Q: Compare this to other bonds. Show comparative returns in numbers. A: Please see returns of historic bonds https://t.co/LaqOm6CE8z

Q: How will the government use infrastructure bond monies? A: The government states its expenditure plans within the annual budget. The money raised for this bond will be spent on those projects.

Q: Why are most of the people who invest in infrastructure bonds foreigners? Why are Kenyans shying away? A: We don’t have proper stats as to how many locals vs foreigners invest in a particular bond. Of late lots of local investors are getting into the market.

Q: Is the interest rate variable? Is it compound interest? A: The interest rate is not variable and is determined by the market at the point of issue. It is a fixed simple interest rate.

Q: Can it be resold in the secondary market by retail individual investors? If so, how easy/difficult is it to exit through the secondary market? A: On Ndovu, retail investors can sell the bond at any time. Ndovu will sell it on the secondary market for you. Exit is very easy.

Q: If the government was to start defaulting on its debt obligations, how will the bond be affected? A: The government could always refinance/ reborrow. If it is in distress, it can sell local assets to raise money or in an extreme scenario, it can attach fiscal collections.

Q: What fees does Ndovu charge for the bond? A: Zero fees upfront. If you deposit 100,000 no fee is cut upfront and the full amount is invested. Ndovu charges an advisory fee per your plan which is taken from your first interest payment. The advisory fee is btwn 0.75% to 1%

And we are back to answer your questions on the Infrastructure Bond. You can join in using @ndovuinvest by tomorrow at 9pm. This thread is crucial if you or someone you know is interested in safe investing.

If you haven’t, check our last thread on the basics of bonds and how to invest in them before you continue. https://t.co/9e48STiuhG

RedBird investment fund to buy AC Milan for $1.3 billion Redbird owns French club Toulouse and is minority owner of Liverpool club. — Business Daily

Property developers to pay between Sh10,000 and Sh40 million for mandatory environmental audits by Nema from June 1 — Business Daily

The value of stocks listed on NSE has dropped by Sh586 billion since the start of the year. Safaricom stock has declined 36.4% over the past 12 months to trade at Sh26. EABL has declined 23.8% over the 12 months and is now trading at Sh141. — Business Daily

Kenya to get Sh20 billion loan from AfDB this year. Sh11.6 billion will go towards budget support. The rest will be used on fertilizer and seeds. — Business Daily

Sasra has revealed that universities have been deducting loan-repayments from their employees but not remitting them to the saccos. Institutions of higher learning account for 62% (2.68 billion) of Sh4.31 billion non-remitted loan repayment deductions. — Business Daily

President Kenyatta on debt: “The only time debt is a burden to the nation is if a nation is led by looters. But in the hands of a visionary administration, debt is a catalyst for rapid development.” — Business Daily

Kenya Power to get Sh7 billion from the government to reduce electricity bills by 15% — Business Daily

Flower exports generate foreign exchange and manufactures are complaining that there is a shortage of US Dollars.

Available freight space stands at 3,500 against required 5,000 tonnes a week. Foreign flights coming in are normally restricted to protect Kenya Airways.

Kenya Flower Council says small scale farmers are throwing away about 20% of their daily produce due to short-fall in freight capacity. Says big players are locking out small players through advance bookings on airlines. — Business Daily

EFG Hermes says it sees Kenya Shilling official rate dropping to 122-123 per dollar by end of year. — Bloomberg

Acquisition of shares in listed Stanbic Holdings PLC by Standard Bank Group was done through Stanbic Africa Holdings. https://t.co/lReXoIbT1Q

Standard Bank Group has announced it has completed acquisition of 31,666,091 additional shares in Kenya’s Stanbic Holdings limited which increases its shareholding to 74.92%. Says it’s interested in buying balance of shares owned by the public through NSE.

CBK has raised its rates for the first time in seven years.

Central Bank of Kenya has raised rates by 0.5% or 50bps to 7.5%. Increase in rate meant to combat inflation.

Kenya’s Equity Group has a significant part of its balance sheet exposed to DR Congo.

Fighting in DR Congo between Congo government and the M23 rebel group recently intensified so much that Uganda sent troops to its borders to prevent spill-over of the fighting into Uganda. DR Congo recently joined East African Community and member countries agreed to intervene.

Rwanda has told DR Congo that the M23 rebel group Congo alleges Rwanda is backing is a Congolese internal problem. Says M23 rebel problem should be resolved using the framework established in recent Nairobi summit. Urges de-escalation. — Bloombergs

Germany and other western countries fighting inflation by raising rates means its going to become increasingly more expensive/difficult for countries and companies to borrow in international markets.

German inflation continues to rise, surges to 7.9%. German Finance minister says fighting inflation is an absolute priority.

About 52% of national debt is external. Shilling depreciation will push up national debt, need to raise more taxes and increase cost of living.

Kenya Association of Manufacturers says US dollar shortage is causing: – Manufacturers to buy dollars in advance, increasing working capital requirements – Cost of accessing bank/credit facilities to increase – Supplies being cut or delayed due to breach in credit limits

Kenya Association of Manufacturers says banks are not able to trade dollars among themselves which is worsening foreign currency shortage. Says there is risk of creating parallel shadow market with “unwanted consequences”.

Kenya Association of Manufacturers says the real Kenya shilling exchange rate against the dollar is above 120. Says none of its members can access dollars at official rate of 115-116.

Malawi devalued it’s currency last week by 25% due to what it says is limited capacity to generate foreign exchange and rise in import bills.

Kenya Airways has suspended ticketing services in Malawi due to the Malawi’s foreign exchange crisis. Malawi foreign exchange shortage has forced foreign traders to halt or suspend operations. — The East African

Centum has launched a real-estate rental portal at https://t.co/MuQrFf3aZl to reach potential clients and show available properties for rent and sale. — Business Daily

Sasini half year profits jump to Sh421 million on success of its diversification efforts. — Business Daily

Tea exports expected to drop as major buying countries have cut consumption due to summer season. Tea buyers have also sought to buy from Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi where tea is cheaper. — Business Daily

Co-op bank CEO says a higher dividend will be paid out this year. — Business Daily

Kenya Power to get part of Sh87 billion state loans to help ease effect of revenue drop when it cuts power tariffs. — Business Daily

Ministry of Health has lost Sh5.3 billion from donors due to lack of capacity to use the funds. — Business Daily

Only 2.6% (1.6 million) of Kenya’s (66 million) bank accounts hold more than Sh100,000 — Business Daily

The average lending rate in the banking sector stands at 12% ,it’s below the risk-free medium term to long-term government bonds — Business Daily

Africa Union has called for dialogue between DR Congo and Rwanda as tensions escalate between the two countries over resurgence of the M23 rebel group. — Reuters

Regional banks entering Ethiopia will have access to a population of 110 million people where less than 15% of the population have access to bank accounts.

Opening up of Ethiopia to foreign investors was part of a long-term strategy to reduce foreign currency shortage and had been agreed on with World Bank and IMF as part of support program before the war.

Ethiopia is looking to boost foreign currency inflows through the bank acquisitions.

Foreign banks looking to enter Ethiopia will need to either acquire local Ethiopian banks or form joint ventures in proposed law. Opening up of banking sector will also be limited to regional banks like Equity Bank, COOP and KCB. — The East African

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Tanzania has issued precautionary notice over monkeypox as cases rise in Europe. Urges anyone with symptoms to visit health centers. Says symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, headaches and muscle and body aches.

Rwanda says two of its soldiers have been kidnapped by rebels in DR Congo. Rwanda is accusing Congo’s government of backing the group responsible for the kidnapping. — Monitor

Elon Musk says Bill Gates has a large bet against Tesla which would require $1.5b-2b (Kshs 234 billion) to close.

China’s Capital Beijing says from May 29 it will adopt dynamic COVID control measures that will relax curbs in some areas : City Official

Ethiopia economic developments are now going to also be important to Safaricom shareholders.

Ethiopia’s April inflation hit 37% in April as it struggles with foreign exchange shortage. It now expects economic growth at 6.6% down from 8.7%. — Bloomberg

Congo recently joined East African Community (EAC) where Rwanda is also a member. The EAC has been attempting to intervene in Congo including negotiations with rebels that were held in Nairobi.

DR Congo has summoned Rwanda’s ambassador and suspended RwandAir flights to Congo in response to what it says is Rwanda’s support for M23 rebels that have been fighting Congo government. — Reuters

Nairobi to install Sh6.5bn smart traffic lights and improve junctions to ease congestion on city roads. Nairobi has the second worst gridlocks globally, with commuters spending 55.8 minutes in traffic, leading to an estimated loss of Sh58 million daily. — Nation

Kenyans could be consuming food without the necessary nutrients, thus exposing them to nutrition deficiency. Only 46.4% of maize millers and 84% of wheat flour millers comply with food fortification standards. — Nation

15% of maize millers in the country produce maize flour containing high level of aflatoxin thus exposing consumers to various health complications, a new market surveillance study has shown. — Nation

It really is that simple to invest in the infrastructure bond. Remember the window closes next Friday on 3rd June. Ask your questions below and share with others if you liked the thread and want more educational threads like this one.

To Invest in Bonds with Ndovu: 1. Visit https://t.co/mQKGb2zgrT 2. Click on “Invest Now” then “Sign Up” After signing in, click on the “Government of Kenya Infrastructure Bond” 3. Enter the amount you wish to invest. 4. Add payment. 5. You will get a message congratulating you.

Fortunately, there’s a new and better way to invest in the bond. With https://t.co/5BnPDxidAU you can invest as little as Sh50,000 in the bond, not need a CDS account and not have to bid. Ndovu is a roboadvisor which means they handle most processes for you.

Traditionally bonds would keep small investors out. It is such a hustle to meet the minimum bid of Sh100,000 which keeps most people from investing in bonds. Many are yet to set up a CDS account which would be needed. Even with a CDS account, one would have to bid for themselves.

In case you need your money back early, you can sell the bond or you could use it as collateral for a bank loan. If you stick it out, You will get Sh50,000 (50% of your investment) back on 2/6/2031 and the remaining Sh50,000 (100% on 21/5/2040

So what’s the big deal? With Sh100,000, you get 13,000( lets assume 13% interest for the example.) in interest payment paid in two equal payments of Sh6,500 in June and December for the next 18 years tax-free.

The government has offered the infrastructure bond to raise Sh75 billion to fund infrastructure projects in the current financial year. The interest-rate will be market determined through bidding. (We expect about 12-13%) The bond sale next Friday 3rd June .

The main risk is that whoever you loan to should be able to pay you back. Buying company bonds is thus much much risker than government bonds. The second risk is inflation. If you locked in a 10% long term bond and inflation is 12% then your inflation-adjusted return is negative

A bond buyer lends money to the government or a company and in return receives a steady flow of regular interest payments back and eventually receives the original loaned amount back.

Grab a drink and lets take a deep dive into the world of Bonds. In this thread we will examine in the simplest detail: What bonds are, why should you care and the easiest method to invest in them. https://t.co/NKIAi7VWZU

Family Bank’s profits rose 43.7% to hit Sh1 billion in the first three months of the year.

On July 1 the East African community will adopt a 35% tax on finished imports such as furniture, leather products, fresh-cut flowers, fruits and nuts, sugar and confectionery, coffee, tea and spices, textiles and garments, head gear, ceramic products and paints. — TheEastAfrican

We will do an amazing thread on the new infrastructure bond tomorrow. What do you want to know about it?

Shoutout to @Satelliteforex for their great and incredibly negotiable FX rates. https://t.co/UdagWSqDyr

Growth in mobile money transactions has slowed from 56.1% last year to just 7.2% in the first quarter of this year. About 3,000 agents closed shop. Ease up of growth follows high fuel, food and import prices. — Business Daily

Creditors of collapsed ARM Cement lost Sh11.5 billion on liquidation. ARM’s Kenyan assets were sold to Narendra Raval’s National Cement for Sh5 billion. — Business Daily

Battery maker, Eveready ,will need more capital from share holders to stay afloat after its liabilities exceeded its assets It reached negative equity joining the likes of Mumias and KQ after it made half year losses of Sh8.4 million. — Business Daily

Belgium ambassador-designate Bitange Ndemo is the third richest on the list of nominees at Sh190 million in net worth.

New report has revealed that Kenya’s ambassador-designate to China Mary Muthoni is the richest nominee at Sh400 million. She is chair of the Retirement benefits appeals tribunal and a member of several retirement benefits schemes. — Business Daily

Eveready shares are currently trading at Sh0.8 valuing it at Sh168 million

Battery maker, Eveready ,will need more capital from share holders to stay afloat after its liabilities exceed its assets. It’s half year loses hit of Sh8.4 million. — Business Daily

Co-op bank is currently trading at Sh11.45 per share valuing it at 4 times its earnings and 1.09 its book value.

Co-op bank earnings grow 69% in first quarter to Sh5.8 billion up from Sh3.4 billion the year before. — Business Daily

Government to disburse Sh517 million to 94,000 poor households in Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera and Turkana. Each household to get Sh5,400 — Business Daily

Black rock, World’s largest asset manager, frontier investment trust was holding Shs 790 million or 1.7% of its frontier equity portfolio in Kenya’s Equity Group as of March 31.

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Net loans and advances increased 18% through organic and strategic acquisitions. The bank recently acquired Rwanda’s Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR)

KCB Group profits after tax surged 54.6% to Kshs 9.9 billion in three months ending March 2022 compared to same period last year.

Nation Media (NMG) has partnered with VC firm Antler East Africa to help create new digital products for its customers. — Business Daily

Chelsea FC to be sold for $5.3 billion to Todd Boehly. The $5.3 billion will be used for humanitarian causes in Ukraine. — AFP

PE firm, AfricInvest has raised Sh48 billion for investing in mid-sized companies in Kenya and the rest of Africa. It acquired 36% of AutoXpress last month. — Business Daily

Jumbo Steel to open Sh2 billion Kisumu plant in June. The mill will offer 600 jobs. — Business Daily

AfDB has banned Weihai construction for fraud in three projects including the Sh33 billion Kenol-Marua highway — Business Daily

33% of SMEs are owned by women and contribute 20% to the GDP — Business Daily

Treasury to spend second supplementary budget on an additional Sh37.8 billion to stabilize fuel prices to June 30. Sh15.8 billion has already been paid out to oil marketers in March and April. — Business Daily

Jubilee insurance has lent Sh1.7 billion to IPS Cable for use in buying more shares in Seacom. Jubilee currently owns 33.3% of IPS Cable and 18.8% of Seacom. Seacom is a Sh75.7 billion 15,000 kilometer submarine fibre optic cable project. — Business Daily

Kenyan billionaire Julius Mwale to build a 16 Gigawatt battery manufacturing plant next to his cobalt and nickel mines in DRC to power smart cities in Kenya and the rest of Africa. — Business Daily

Kenya spent Sh260 million on Former President Mwai Kibaki’s funeral. — Business Daily

The recovery for Africa will be very costly. Africa will need at least $432 billion to address the effects of covid on its economies and on the lives of its people, resources that it does not have. – AfDB

Lobby groups are asking Kenya government to suspend import taxes on grains to avert potentially devastating food crisis as prices have increased sharply. — Bloomberg

Gambian government says it is willing to prosecute former president Yahya Jammeh for a “myriad of crimes” committed by the regime during his more than 20-year rule – AFP

The Sh32 billion Mombasa port second container terminal is ready for handover with commissioning and operations expected to start in June. — Business Daily

US Dollar against the Kenya Shilling is now trading at Sh119 buying and Sh120.50 selling. Rate at @Satelliteforex

Maize millers say high flour prices will remain since its too expensive to import maize. Maize flour is currently retailing Sh150. — Business Daily

KCB bank, the second largest bank in Kenya, is currently trading at Sh35.95 which is near its 52 week low of Sh34. The Stock price values the company at 3.38 times its earnings, and 1.25 times its book value despite its high 8.34% dividend yield.

National bank’s MD Paul Russo was appointed as KCB’s new CEO based on his performance over the last 8 years at KCB and his turnaround of National Bank. Mr. Russo has a Strathmore MBA. A Management BA from Moi University and 20 years as HR expert. — Business Daily

MPs have rejected Treasury’s proposal requiring taxpayers to deposit 50% of the disputed tax demands by KRA while appealing the case. Currently, court determines whether KRA’s demands for security are justifiable then sets amount to be used as deposit. — Business Daily

Treasury wanted excise duty on beer increased from Sh121.85 to Sh134 while that of wines and spirits increased from Sh208.2 to Sh278.7 per liter. EABL had said a 10% rise in excise duty is too much and would make drinks very expensive.

Treasury to miss out on Sh50 billion revenue after its proposal to increase taxation on alcohol, juice and bottled water was rejected by MPs — Business Daily

Helb to issue a Sh22 billion bond to fund laptop purchases for university students. Helb will back the bond with its assets worth Sh110 billion. It also has a sovereign guarantee from the government for the bond. — Business Daily

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I&M Group PLC reports 44% growth in Profit after tax to Kes 2.7 billion in first quarter of 2022 compared to same period last year.

Russo served as group head of human resources at KCB before being appointed to run NBK in 2019 after it was acquired by KCB.

KCB Group has selected Paul Russo as new CEO. Russo currently heads KCB subsidiary NBK and will replace Joshua Oigara : Sources — Reuters

NMS has postponed the operationalization of the Green Park Bus Terminal that was set to commence today on request for a time extension by PSV operators

U.S President Joe Biden states that American troops would defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion, a departure from a traditional policy of strategic ambiguity. – NYT

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UN Food Head has warned world’s food security conditions are “worse” than what was observed during Arab Spring over a decade ago.

Botswana’s real estate firm, Lethole La Rona (LLR) to acquire 30% of Orbit Kenya’s manufacturing facilities in Mlolongo for Sh842 million. — Business Daily

Kenya defaulted repayment on three loans from an international bank in the financial year in 2021. The country’s public debt now stands at Sh8.4 trillion. – Nation

CBK to raise Sh75 billion from sale of 18 year infrastructure bond at 12.96% tax-free interest This is the most lucrative security the government has issued in recent years and will likely be oversubscribed. — Business Daily

Bank earnings increased 25% y/y to Sh57.3 billion in January to March period on increased lending. — Business Daily

Uganda is now the first EAC country to fully shift to electronic passport. Kenya has pushed deadline for new generation chip-embedded passports to November. — Business Daily

Kenya’s pension payments for first 10 months of the year increased 53% (Sh39 billion) to Sh113 billion from Sh74 billion. The growth was caused the thousands of public servants who retired last year becoming eligible for monthly pension pay — Business Daily

Uganda President says offering subsidies and removing taxes on key Ugandan imports such as fuel and wheat is “suicidal and a blunder”. Says it would use up foreign currency reserves and cut tax revenues. — Bloomberg

Auditor General has raised issues with the procurement of 650,000 desks worth Sh1.9 billion to public schools. Procurement records were not provided and needs assessment details for audit review — Business Daily

Sportpesa founders made Sh8 billion in dividends in the 5 years of its operation. CEO Ronald Karuri made a cumulative Sh535 million in dividends for the period. — Business Daily

Global fertilizer shortage could lead to 10% drop in Kenya’s coffee production, a new report shows. Fertilizer prices have increased 71% to Sh6,000 per 50kg bag. — Business Daily

BCLB’s CEO said betting firms may be hiding their marketing spend as CSR spend. BCLB has ordered all gaming companies to disclose audited records of activities ,amounts and beneficiaries of their corporate social responsibility(CSR) spending and sponsorships. — Business Daily

The amount of unpaid bills by Parastatals has risen by Sh122 billion from Sh263 billion to Sh385 billion. About Sh228 billion is owed to contractors of public projects and suppliers of goods & services. The reminder is unremitted statutory and other deductions. — Business Daily

USD to Kenya Shilling trading at Sh119.2 buying and Sh121 selling Rate at @Satelliteforex

Pension funds recorded a -0.6 % return in Q1 due to bear market and weak shilling. Pension funds had 24.5% of their total assets in stocks. — Business Daily

BII, a British fund, has pledged to invest Sh81 billion over the next five years to Kenyan companies. — Business Daily

Traders withdrew a record 4.7 million kilos of tea worth Sh1.2 billion from auction after prices remained low at Sh262 per kilo. Teas has been selling below government set minimum price of Sh279 for three months. — Business Daily

IPPs say they Kenya power to hold open auction tenders if it wants to lower electricity costs. Electric bills are yet to reduce despite government promises in January. — Business Daily

Kenyan troops reimbursed Sh2.5 billion for Somalia mission — Business Daily

Platinum Credit and Premier Credit to get Sh4.6 billion financing from IFC for lending. — Business Daily

Centum share price set a new 52-week low of Sh9.6 on Friday marking a 36.2% decline over the past 12 months. — Business Daily

Four Cytonn executives- Ndande, Nkukuu, Arora and Njeri- to face fraud charges over unauthorized payment back in 2014 of over Sh1 billion at Britam, their former employer, after supreme court dismissed their appeal saying it lacked merit. — Business Daily

UK has also told high risk Monkeypox close contacts to isolate for 21 days.

Sportpesa paid out Sh380 billion in winnings in its first five years of operation. The amount is 85% of the Sh447 billion gamblers staked. — Business Daily

Belgium has become the first country to impose mandatory 21-day monkeypox quarantine for those who contract the virus as 14 countries confirm outbreak.

The current black market rate is as high as 72 while official is at 52. Ethiopia’s currency volatility is going to be increasingly important for Safaricom as it gets into Ethiopia.

The difference between the US dollar official and black market rate for the Ethiopian currency Birr has widened by up to 38%. The Birr has dropped sharply against the dollar. Rising commodity prices have pushed up demand for dollars.

Kenyans living abroad sent home Sh41.35 billion in April up 18.6% compared to last year. US accounted for 62% of the remittances. — Capital FM

US President says Monkeypox is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential.

US National Security says it has vaccines available to be deployed for Monkeypox. — ABC News

Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, to spend $242 million to promote clean energy in 10 developing countries including Kenya. -NYT

The US has warned that IT workers from North Korea are trying to get remote working jobs by hiding their true identities to steal money to fund their country’s weapon programmes. Many of them pretend to be from other parts of Asia. — BBC

Rwanda says it expects to receive its first batch of 50 asylum seekers from the UK in coming weeks. Under the deal with UK, Rwanda will be paid Shs 18.3 billion ($157m) by UK to cater for migrants to be ‘integrated’ into communities. — The East African

Cargo volumes at Dar es Salaam port have grown by 21% while they have dropped by 6% at Mombasa port. Decline at Mombasa blamed on move by Uganda and Rwanda to divert more cargo to Dar es Salaam. — The East African

Russia says it has taken complete control of Mariupol in Ukraine after surrender of last defenders. — WSJ

Ukraine to get another $40 billion in U.S. support as it continues to battle a Russian invasion. The legislation includes $20 billion in military assistance and $8 billion in general economic support. -AFP

Equity Group CEO recently said a significant portion of Africa’s fertilizer comes from Russia. Proposed idea that large fertilizer plants could be set up in Africa to help counter the global fertilizer shortage issue and help the West diversify supply.

African Development Bank has announced Shs 174 billion ($1.5b) fund to boost grain production in Africa to prevent potential food shortages. The money will be used to supply 20 million farmers with climate-smart certified seeds and fertilizer. — Bloomberg

Selling property then leasing it back is a strategy companies use to raise capital.

Letlole expects redevelopment and expansion of the Mombasa road property to be completed by end of 2023 and will then enter into another 20 year lease with Orbit. It expects minimum US dollar interest of 9.6%.

Orbit Kenya has sold its Mombasa road warehouse property for Shs 6.2 billion to Botswana listed Letlole Limited. Orbit will then lease back the warehouse for 25 years. Letlole expects to make 16% yield from redevelopment and expansion of the property.

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Helb is constantly underfunded and struggles with non-repayment this bond helps solve these problems. They will look at how much is required for the year then issue a bond of that size. The bond will likely be priced at 8%.

Helb has initiated tendering for advisory on floating of a Social Education bond. According to Helbs strategic plan it targets to float the bond by end of June.

Kenya had indicated it will go ahead and issue Eurobonds by June despite rates being very high.

Ivory Coast says it won’t allow itself to borrow in Eurobonds at current high rates of 8% or 9% like other countries. Says it will instead try to borrow from its regional markets. — Bloomberg

EA Cable is also eyeing proceeds from parent company, Transcentury’s rights issue and negotiating facilities in Kenya and Tanzania to fund operations.

East African Cables is selling parcels of land and non-core machinery worth Shs 460 million to raise cash to fund operations. — The East African

Uganda and Tanzania are planning to build a natural gas pipeline from Dar es Salaam to Kampala. Tanzania has already built 512kms pipeline from gas fields in Mtwara to Dar. — The East African

The gas pipeline will be constructed parallel to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline from Uganda to Tanzania.

Nigeria has signed universal health coverage into law. Plans to set up healthcare fund to cover up to 83 million poor people who cannot afford premiums for insurance schemes. — Reuters

WHO says Monkeypox virus cases are being detected among people engaging in sexual activity and the symptoms are unknown to many. Says it’s concerned that spread of the virus could accelerate due to parties and festivals in summer.

Europe has so far reported over 100 cases of Monkeypox in recent days.

The virus which in the past has been limited to Central and West Africa has started spreading in Europe and North America.

World Health Organization set to hold emergency committee meeting to discuss Monkeypox virus today.

China lockdowns are holding back flow of goods and affecting global supply chains.

China’s Shanghai Hongkou district has ordered all shops to shut and residents to stay at home. Says it will conduct mass testing between May 20-22. — Reuters

National Bank USD Buying at Sh107.90 and Selling at Sh120.80

US Dollar against the Kenya Shillings now trading at Sh119 buying and Sh120.7 selling. Rate at @Satelliteforex

Airtel has asked Uganda communications regulator to extend deadline to list 20% of its shares at Uganda Stock Exchange by one year. — Business Daily

Manufacturers and tax experts are asking lawmakers to amend law that requires including inflation when calculating capital gains tax on sale of houses, land and privately held shares. Proposed tax changes will also increase capital gain tax to 15% from 5%. — Business Daily

Kenya’s exports to Pakistan increased 21% to Sh16.8 billion in Q1 becoming Kenya’s biggest export destination. It is the biggest buyer of Kenyan tea. Uganda is now second with Sh13.9 billion in exports. — Business Daily

Kakuzi dividends increase to Sh22 per share up from Sh18 last year due to strong performance. — Business Daily

*mobile money based loans uptake

Report shows Kenya mobile money uptake is the highest in the world. Four in every 10 Kenyans have used mobile money to get a loan: GSMA — Business Daily

Kenya in talks with UK to fund Sh28 billion Central Railway Station. UK expected to provide up to Sh220 billion for Kenyan projects — Business Daily

Kenya’s debt repayments to China have risen 135% to a record high of Sh73.5 billion — Business Daily

KRA collected Sh7.4 billion less tax from airtime and calls due to reduced use after increasing excise duty from 15% to 20%. It had thought it would collect Kshs 8 billion more from the tax increase in 2021. — Business Daily

Zimbabwe has effectively devalued it’s official currency rate by 74% from 166 to 289. The currency has been falling in the black market. — Bloomberg

*in collapse