The Kenya shilling remained stable against the US dollar during the week ending November 5, 2026, as the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) reported adequate foreign exchange reserves, sustained liquidity in the money market, and increased activity at the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
According to the CBK Weekly Bulletin released on November 6, the shilling exchanged at KSh129.96 against the US dollar on November 5, unchanged from October 29.
The average exchange rate for the week stood at KSh129.95, up from KSh129.93 the previous week.
“The Kenya Shilling remained stable against major international and regional currencies during the week ending November 5, 2026. It exchanged at KSh 129.96 per U.S. dollar on November 5, unchanged from October 29,” CBK stated.
Kenya Shilling Holds Steady as CBK Reserves Remain Above Required Levels
Against other major international currencies during the review period, the Kenya shilling traded at KSh175.18 against the British pound on November 5, up from KSh173.04 on October 29.
Against the euro, it traded at KSh146.27, up from KSh144.78, while the rate against 100 Japanese yen stood at KSh81.97, compared with KSh82.33 a week earlier.
The weekly average exchange rates stood at KSh174.23 against the pound, KSh145.43 against the euro and KSh82.29 per 100 Japanese yen.
In the regional market, the Ugandan shilling exchanged at 31.62 units per Kenya shilling on November 5, compared with 33.50 units on October 29.
The Tanzanian shilling remained at 20.39 units, the Rwandese franc at 11.36 units and the Burundian franc at 23.09 units per Kenya shilling.
Meanwhile, the CBK reported that foreign exchange reserves stood at USD14.699 billion as of November 5, equivalent to 5.9 months of import cover.
Also Read: Investors Offer CBK Nearly KSh100 Billion as Govt Seeks New Borrowing
Money Market Remains Liquid as Treasury Auctions Attract Strong Demand
The domestic money market remained liquid during the week, with open market operations remaining active.
Commercial banks’ excess reserves averaged KSh31.9 billion above the 3.25 percent Cash Reserve Ratio requirement, while the Kenya Shilling Overnight Interbank Average (KESONIA) remained stable at 8.75 percent.
Interbank market activity eased, with the average number of transactions declining to 16 from 18 in the previous week. The average value traded also fell to KSh9.2 billion from KSh12.2 billion.
In the government securities market, the November 5 Treasury bill auction attracted bids totaling KSh67.7 billion against an advertised amount of KSh28 billion, representing a performance rate of 241.8 percent.
Additionally, interest rates on the 182-day and 364-day Treasury bills declined marginally, while the rate on the 91-day paper remained stable. The average rates stood at 8.750 percent for the 91-day bill, 8.845 percent for the 182-day bill, and 9.028 percent for the 364-day bill.
The Treasury bond auction held on November 4 also attracted strong investor interest, while reopened 15-year and 30-year Treasury bonds received bids worth KSh99.5 billion against an advertised amount of KSh50 billion, at a performance rate of 198.9 percent.
Also Read: CBK Reveals How Kenyan Shilling Is Performing Against Dollar as Global Oil Prices Rise
NSE Gains as Bond Turnover Falls Amid Global Market Shifts
At the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), the Nairobi All Share Index (NASI) rose 1.68 percent, the NSE 25 Share Index rose 3.14 percent, and the NSE 20 Share Index gained 1.37 percent.
Market capitalization also rose 1.68 percent, while total shares traded rose 933.04 percent and equity turnover rose 2,755.81 percent.
The CBK attributed the sharp increase in trading volumes and equity turnover to Nedbank’s acquisition of NCBA shares valued at KSh107.3 billion.
In the bond market, turnover in the domestic secondary market declined by 10.35 percent. However, yields on Kenya’s Eurobonds fell by an average of 25.87 basis points during the week.
Yields for Côte d’Ivoire and Angola also declined.
Globally, The Bank of England raised its policy rate by 25 basis points to 4 percent, while Brazil’s central bank maintained its policy rate at 13.75 percent despite rising inflationary pressures.
“The Bank of England raised its policy rate by 25 basis points to 4 percent, while the Brazil Central Bank held its policy rate at 13.75 percent despite rising inflationary pressures,” CBK noted.
US labor market indicators showed initial jobless claims falling to 189,000. In contrast, continuing claims rose to 1.718 million, as the US Dollar Index weakened 0.48 percent against major international currencies during the week.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for in-depth interviews.
