Canal+ Grapples to Steady MultiChoice as Subscriber Numbers Fall
The figures were released alongside the strategic update of Canal+, the French media group that is in the process of integrating the African broadcaster following its takeover.
Kenya Literature Bureau's Profit Crashes 91% after Delayed Government Book Orders
Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) posted a net profit after tax of Kshs 12.2 million for the year ended June 30, 2025, a 90.7% drop from Kshs 131 million the prior year. Gross turnover fell 46.4% to Kshs 1.83 billion as a Kshs 1.03 billion KICD mathematics textbook distribution contract stalled, leaving schools in Murang'a, Kirinyaga, Machakos, and Kajiado without books. The proposed dividend was cut 90.7% to Kshs 1.2 million. Profit before tax hit a five-year low of Kshs 30 million.
SBM Bank Kenya Ends Two-Year Loss Streak With KSh 444Mn Profit
SBM Bank Kenya swung to a 444.22Mn after-tax profit for the full year ended 31 December 2025, reversing a 1.21Bn loss in 2024. The turnaround was driven by a 19.6% fall in interest expense to 6.86Bn, which pushed net interest income up 80.7% to 3.88Bn. Customer deposits rose 20.1% to 82.41Bn as the bank reduced reliance on costly interbank funding. Gross non-performing loans fell 34.1% to 11.29Bn. Total assets grew 5.5% to 105.72Bn.EABL Appoints Diageo Insider Justin Mollel as CFO With Asahi Takeover Months Away
East African Breweries has appointed Justin Mollel, Finance Director at Diageo Ireland, as Group CFO Designate from May 2026, taking full charge in July. He succeeds Risper Ohaga, the first African woman to hold the role, who exits to become Group CEO of APA Apollo Group. The appointment is the latest in a series of Diageo network placements at EABL as its parent completes a $2.3 billion sale of its 65% stake to Japan's Asahi Group, expected to close in H2 2026.Centum Investments Exits Sidian Bank After 22 Years
Centum Investment Company has completed the sale of its remaining 50% stake in Bakki Holdco Limited, ending its 22-year investment in Sidian Bank. The exit follows six transactions between October 2023 and March 2026, recovering an estimated 5.2 billion shillings against a total entry cost of 4.7 billion shillings. The divestiture included a failed 4.3 billion shilling deal with Nigeria's Access Bank in 2022, before Centum shifted to piecemeal sales. The final exit comes as Sidian, reclassified as a medium-tier lender by the CBK in September 2025, posted a nine-month profit of 1.4 billion shillings.KCB Posts Record KSh 68.35Bn 2025 Profit as Dividend Hits KSh 7 Per Share
KCB Group posted record profit after tax of 68.35 Bn in FY2025, up 10.6% from 61.77 Bn, driven by an 18.9% collapse in interest expense that lifted net interest income 7.8% to 148.02 Bn. The bank declared a full-year dividend of KSh 7.00 per share, up 133.3% and the largest total payout of 22.50 Bn in its history. Net loans crossed 1 trillion for the first time. The gross NPL ratio improved to 16.9% from 19.2%. KCB guides for loan growth of 10% to 11% and NIMs of 7.2% to 7.8% in FY2026.Stanbic Weathers Interest Rate Storm With Flat Profit, Record Dividend
Stanbic Holdings Plc reported profit after tax of KShs 13.72 Bn for the full year ended 31 December 2025, virtually unchanged from 2024, as nine CBK rate cuts totalling 400 basis points since August 2024 compressed total operating income 3.1% to KShs 38.51 Bn. A 47.5% drop in credit impairment charges to KShs 1.63 Bn cushioned the bottom line. The balance sheet expanded 19% to KShs 541.25 Bn, with loans up 24.4% and deposits up 23.5%. The group declared a record dividend of KShs 22.35 per share for FY2025.Aga Khan Sells Nation Media Group Majority Stake to Tanzanian billionaire Rostam Azizi
Tanzania's first dollar billionaire Rostam Azizi is acquiring AKFED's 54.08% stake in Nation Media Group via Taarifa Ltd. Azizi, whose Taifa Group spans LPG, contract mining, aviation, and media, co-founded Mwananchi Communications in 1999 before selling out to NMG. He now returns as majority owner of East and Central Africa's largest independent media house, with regulatory approval expected within three to four months.Mwalimu Sacco Profit Jumps 76.3% as Asset Base Hits KSh 76.3Bn
Mwalimu National DT Sacco, Kenya's largest Sacco by assets, reported a 76.3% jump in surplus to 1.27Bn for the year ended 31 December 2025, its strongest result since 2020. Net interest income grew 11.0% to 3.53Bn while loans and advances expanded 19.3% to 56.3Bn. Administrative expenses rose 17.7% to 3.00Bn and impairment charges climbed 5.4% to 960.3M. The Sacco held its dividend at 13% and raised interest on deposits by 5 basis points to 10.05%. Total assets closed at 76.3Bn, up 10.8% year-on-year.Parliament Pushes for Faster Reform of State-Owned Enterprises, Limits Budget to KSh 2.88Trillion
KPC Lists 6th on NSE With Only 2.6% in Retail Hands
Kenya Pipeline Company lists on the Nairobi Securities Exchange as the sixth most valuable stock on the exchange at KSh163.6Bn, the only infrastructure company in a top ten dominated by banks. Despite a 65% headline free float, institutions and sovereign funds control 97% of the shares sold, leaving just 2.6% of the company in retail hands. Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya's NSSF anchored the offer as 70,000 retail investors, against a government target of two million, will effectively set the opening price for a KSh163.6Bn company.NSE Raises Futures Margins as Derivatives Trading Hits Record KSh 140.9Mn
Trading on the Nairobi Securities Exchange derivatives market surged to a record KSh 140.9Mn in February 2026 from 40,250 contracts, the highest monthly activity since the NSE NEXT platform launched in 2019. The exchange has also revised initial margin requirements across several equity and index futures, raising collateral levels for major banking and large-cap contracts as participation in the derivatives market increases.
