This week, Kenya’s foreign reserves fell by Ksh11.77 billion, even as remittances softened and the shilling edged toward weakness against major currencies.
CBK figures show reserves at USD 13.149 billion, down from USD 13.240 billion last week.
Nonetheless, CBK confirmed reserves still cover more than 5.6 months of imports, surpassing the statutory four‑month minimum.
The dip coincides with the government’s plan to lock accounts for the 2025/2026 fiscal year within the next ten days.
Remittances in May slipped 0.9 percent to Ksh50.98 billion from Ksh51.45 billion in April.
This Ksh470 million drop meant cumulative 12‑month inflows to May 2026 fell 0.5 percent to Ksh647.7 billion, versus Ksh650.94 billion in the same period of 2025.
CBK said remittance inflows continue to be a vital source of foreign‑exchange earnings, sustaining the balance of payments.
The 2025 Remittances Household Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics noted that roughly 50,000 Kenyans abroad returned home for various reasons, including expired contracts.
While this may explain part of the remittance decline, neither CBK nor KNBS explicitly linked the two.
At the same time, the shilling slightly weakened against the U.S. dollar, with a rate of Ksh129.55 on Thursday versus Ksh129.48 on June 11.
It also lost ground against the pound, euro, and Japanese yen during the week.
CBK reported the pound average at Ksh173.79, down from Ksh173.35 in the prior week.
Against the euro it fell to Ksh150.16 from Ksh149.77, and against the yen it edged down to Ksh80.84 from Ksh80.79.