- A recent CBK report reveals stark differences in interest rates across Kenyan banks amid rising non-performing loans
- Experts have blamed high government borrowing from local market for the rising interest rates as banks struggle with non-performing loans
- Citibank, Premier Bank, and Ecobank lead in low-interest loans, while big banks lag in affordability
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Muyela Roberto is a business journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 9 years of experience in the digital media, offering deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) recently released a detailed summary comparing interest rates across banks operating in Kenya.
CBK lowers lending rate is Kenya
This followed a decision by the CBK to lower the benchmark rate by 25 basis points, from 13% to 12.75%.
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While this signalled a potential for cheaper credit, lending experts argued that the reduction was too small to significantly impact borrowers.
This development comes amid a rising number of non-performing loans across the banking sector. Absa Bank, for example, reported an increase in bad loans from KSh 32 billion in 2023 to KSh 39 billion in 2024.
Absa CEO Abdi Mohamed noted that the persistently high rates have deterred customers from taking long-term loans, with households, manufacturing, and real estate sectors being the hardest hit.
Government overborrowing from local market
Observers have also attributed the rising lending rates to the government’s high appetite for domestic borrowing, which reduces the volume of loans available to other borrowers as the government is generally seen as a safer investment.
The CBK analysis, which summarised rates for personal, business, and corporate loans, revealed significant disparities in lending rates across banks.
For instance, DIB Bank, Premier Bank, and Citibank offered the most favourable rates for personal overdrafts at 0%, while Credit Bank had the highest at 19.1%.
For personal loans with repayment periods of 1–5 years, the most attractive rates were offered by Citibank N.A Kenya (0%), Premier Bank Kenya Limited (9%), Ecobank Kenya Limited (11.06%), and Access Bank (Kenya) PLC (11.31%).
Absa and NCBA had the highest interest rates in this category, exceeding 21%.
Overall, the top six banks with the lowest interest rates across all categories were not among the most popular banks in Kenya, with only Cooperative Bank making it to the top 10.
- Premier Bank Kenya Limited 9%
- Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.37%
- Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.39%
- Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 13.39%
- Kingdom Bank Limited 14.02%
- Guardian Bank Limited 14.67%
The list below summarises the rates across all categories
1. Customer Type: Personal
a) - Type of Loan: Overdraft
1 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 0
2 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 0
3 Citibank N.A Kenya 0
4 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 3.83
5 Ecobank Kenya Limited 4.75
6 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.31
7 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.03
8 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 12.2
9 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 13
10 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 13.4
11 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 13.58
12 Gulf African Bank Limited 13.71
13 Guardian Bank Limited 14.04
14 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 14.06
15 African Banking Corporation Limited 14.15
16 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 14.69
17 Kingdom Bank Limited 14.72
18 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 14.75
19 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 14.98
20 Bank of India 15.1
21 National Bank of Kenya Limited 16
22 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 16.4
23 Paramount Bank Limited 16.5
24 Prime Bank Limited 16.56
25 I&M Bank Limited 16.84
26 Family Bank Limited 16.97
27 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 17.37
28 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 17.51
29 Sidian Bank Limited 17.68
30 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.75
31 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 17.8
32 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 18.06
33 M-Oriental Bank Limited 18.75
34 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 18.79
35 Credit Bank PLC 19.61
36 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 21.03
37 HFC Limited 21.94
38 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 24.36
b) - Customer Type: Personal
Type of Loan: Personal Loan
Duration of loan: 1-5 Years
1 Citibank N.A Kenya 0
2 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 9
3 Ecobank Kenya Limited 11.06
4 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.31
5 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 11.41
6 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 12.8
7 Kingdom Bank Limited 13
8 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 13
9 Guardian Bank Limited 14.26
10 Gulf African Bank Limited 14.6
11 Bank of India 15
12 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 15.42
13 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 15.54
14 Prime Bank Limited 16.71
15 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 16.93
16 M-Oriental Bank Limited 16.95
17 National Bank of Kenya Limited 17
18 African Banking Corporation Limited 17.18
19 Paramount Bank Limited 17.44
20 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.8
21 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 17.84
22 Family Bank Limited 17.92
23 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 18.24
24 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 18.83
25 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 19.23
26 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 19.23
27 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 19.78
28 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 19.82
29 HFC Limited 20.42
30 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 20.57
31 Sidian Bank Limited 20.58
32 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 20.77
33 I&M Bank Limited 20.78
34 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 21.14
35 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 21.19
36 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 21.44
37 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 21.82
38 Credit Bank PLC 23.22
c) Customer Type: Personal
Type of Loan: Personal Loan
Duration of loan: Over 5 Years
1 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 0
2 M-Oriental Bank Limited 0
3 Citibank N.A Kenya 0
4 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 9
5 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 10.84
6 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.25
7 Kingdom Bank Limited 13.15
8 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 13.6
9 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 14.06
10 Ecobank Kenya Limited 14.34
11 Family Bank Limited 14.34
12 Gulf African Bank Limited 14.39
13 Bank of India 15.05
14 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 15.37
15 Guardian Bank Limited 15.38
16 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 15.84
17 Sidian Bank Limited 15.99
18 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 16.28
19 Paramount Bank Limited 16.3
20 African Banking Corporation Limited 16.55
21 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 16.59
22 Prime Bank Limited 16.81
23 National Bank of Kenya Limited 17
24 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 17.31
25 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.64
26 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 17.8
27 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 17.89
28 I&M Bank Limited 17.93
29 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 18.27
30 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 18.67
31 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 19.01
32 Credit Bank PLC 19.17
33 HFC Limited 19.29
34 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 19.31
35 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 19.5
36 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 19.94
37 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 21
38 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 21.79
2. a) Customer Type: Business
Type of Loan: Business Overdraft
1 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 0
2 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 0
3 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 0
4 Citibank N.A Kenya 0
5 HFC Limited 0
6 Guardian Bank Limited 5.8
7 Ecobank Kenya Limited 10.44
8 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.33
9 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.4
10 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 12.42
11 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 12.6
12 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 13
13 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 14.41
14 Bank of India 15
15 National Bank of Kenya Limited 15
16 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 15.14
17 Kingdom Bank Limited 15.83
18 Gulf African Bank Limited 16.03
19 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 16.21
20 Prime Bank Limited 16.48
21 Paramount Bank Limited 16.7
22 Family Bank Limited 16.71
23 African Banking Corporation Limited 16.72
24 M-Oriental Bank Limited 16.93
25 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 17.15
26 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 17.23
27 I&M Bank Limited 17.26
28 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 17.31
29 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.72
30 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 18.28
31 Sidian Bank Limited 18.92
32 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 19.51
33 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 19.81
34 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 20.01
35 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 20.47
36 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 20.76
37 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 21.95
38 Credit Bank PLC 22.05
b) Customer Type: Business
Type of Loan: Business Loan
Duration of Loan: 1-5 years
1 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 0
2 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 0
3 Citibank N.A Kenya 0
4 HFC Limited 0
5 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 9
6 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.3
7 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 12.19
8 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.4
9 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 13
10 Guardian Bank Limited 14.17
11 Ecobank Kenya Limited 14.36
12 Bank of India 14.95
13 Kingdom Bank Limited 15.46
14 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 16.14
15 Paramount Bank Limited 16.48
16 Gulf African Bank Limited 16.51
17 African Banking Corporation Limited 16.55
18 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 17.1
19 Prime Bank Limited 17.24
20 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.73
21 Family Bank Limited 17.94
22 National Bank of Kenya Limited 18
23 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 18.02
24 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 18.06
25 M-Oriental Bank Limited 18.36
26 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 18.95
27 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 19.11
28 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 19.26
29 Credit Bank PLC 19.6
30 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 19.68
31 I&M Bank Limited 19.83
32 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 19.9
33 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 20
34 Sidian Bank Limited 20.29
35 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 20.7
36 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 20.82
37 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 21.96
38 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 22.32
c) Customer Type: Business
Type of Loan: Business Loan
Duration of Loan: Over 5 Years
1 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 0
2 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 0
3 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 0
4 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 0
5 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 0
6 Prime Bank Limited 0
7 Citibank N.A Kenya 0
8 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 0
9 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 0
10 HFC Limited 0
11 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 9
12 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.18
13 Kingdom Bank Limited 12.81
14 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 14
15 Bank of India 15
16 Credit Bank PLC 15
17 Guardian Bank Limited 15.99
18 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 16.31
19 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 16.75
20 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 16.77
21 Gulf African Bank Limited 16.9
22 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 16.96
23 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 16.97
24 Family Bank Limited 17.15
25 Ecobank Kenya Limited 17.61
26 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.7
27 National Bank of Kenya Limited 18
28 I&M Bank Limited 18.56
29 M-Oriental Bank Limited 18.78
30 African Banking Corporation Limited 18.79
31 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 18.89
32 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 19.13
33 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 19.76
34 Sidian Bank Limited 20.19
35 Paramount Bank Limited 20.4
36 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 20.8
37 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 21.33
38 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 27
3 a) Customer Type: Corporate
Loan Type: Coporate Overdraft
1 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 0
2 Ecobank Kenya Limited 4.65
3 Guardian Bank Limited 11.06
4 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.3
5 Paramount Bank Limited 12.3
6 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.44
7 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 13
8 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 13.71
9 Kingdom Bank Limited 14
10 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 14.45
11 Bank of India 14.85
12 Gulf African Bank Limited 15.17
13 National Bank of Kenya Limited 16
14 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 16.24
15 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 16.54
16 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 16.58
17 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 16.69
18 Prime Bank Limited 16.96
19 Family Bank Limited 17.1
20 M-Oriental Bank Limited 17.42
21 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 17.55
22 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.75
23 I&M Bank Limited 17.98
24 African Banking Corporation Limited 18.03
25 Sidian Bank Limited 18.06
26 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 18.18
27 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 18.21
28 Citibank N.A Kenya 18.24
29 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 18.26
30 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 18.42
31 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 18.86
32 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 19.05
33 Credit Bank PLC 19.1
34 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 19.27
35 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 19.55
36 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 20.45
37 HFC Limited 21.55
38 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 22.28
b) Customer Type: Corporate
Loan Type: Corporate Loan
Duration of Loan: 1-5 Years
1 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 9
2 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.45
3 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.35
4 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 13
5 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 13.5
6 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 14
7 Kingdom Bank Limited 14.5
8 Bank of India 14.95
9 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 15.32
10 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 15.63
11 Paramount Bank Limited 15.68
12 Guardian Bank Limited 15.73
13 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 15.74
14 National Bank of Kenya Limited 16
15 Gulf African Bank Limited 16.25
16 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 16.56
17 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 16.68
18 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 16.74
19 Prime Bank Limited 16.8
20 African Banking Corporation Limited 17.35
21 Family Bank Limited 17.55
22 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.74
23 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 17.76
24 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 17.81
25 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 18.42
26 I&M Bank Limited 18.52
27 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 18.82
28 M-Oriental Bank Limited 18.86
29 Citibank N.A Kenya 18.93
30 Ecobank Kenya Limited 19.23
31 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 19.39
32 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 19.55
33 Sidian Bank Limited 19.92
34 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 20.09
35 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 20.38
36 HFC Limited 20.61
37 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 20.88
38 Credit Bank PLC 23.67
c) Customer Type: Corporate
Loan Type: Corporate Loan
Duration of Loan: Over 5 Years
1 UBA Kenya Bank Limited 0
2 M-Oriental Bank Limited 0
3 Premier Bank Kenya Limited 9
4 Access Bank (Kenya) PLC 11.25
5 Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited 11.38
6 Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited 12.87
7 Credit Bank PLC 13
8 Equity Bank Kenya Limited 13.88
9 Consolidated Bank of Kenya Limited 14
10 Kingdom Bank Limited 14.5
11 Bank of India 15
12 Habib Bank A.G Zurich 15.17
13 Family Bank Limited 15.45
14 Paramount Bank Limited 15.8
15 Citibank N.A Kenya 15.86
16 Gulf African Bank Limited 16.06
17 Guardian Bank Limited 16.18
18 Guaranty Trust Bank (K) Ltd 16.53
19 Development Bank of Kenya Limited 16.77
20 Prime Bank Limited 16.77
21 DIB Bank Kenya Limited 16.78
22 National Bank of Kenya Limited 17
23 KCB Bank Kenya Limited 17.21
24 I&M Bank Limited 17.51
25 Bank of Baroda (Kenya) Limited 17.71
26 African Banking Corporation Limited 17.74
27 NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 18
28 Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 18.04
29 Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited 18.52
30 Bank of Africa Kenya Limited 18.59
31 Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 18.81
32 SBM Bank Kenya Limited 19.15
33 Sidian Bank Limited 19.32
34 Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited 19.58
35 ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 19.63
36 Ecobank Kenya Limited 20.73
37 HFC Limited 20.98
38 Middle East Bank (K) Limited 22.12
Overall lending rates for all the 38 banks in Kenya
| Bank | Overall % rate for personal and business loans |
| 1. Premier Bank Kenya Ltd | 9 |
| 2. Access Bank Kenya PLC | 11.37 |
| 3. Diamond Trust Bank | 12.39 |
| 4. Consolidated Bank | 13.39 |
| 5. Kingdom Bank | 14.02 |
| 6. Guardian Bank | 14.67 |
| 7. Ecobank Kenya Ltd | 14.72 |
| 8. Bank of India | 14.94 |
| 9. Co-operative Bank of Kenya Ltd | 15.18 |
| 10. Paramount Bank | 15.35 |
| 11. Habib Bank | 15.38 |
| 12. UBA Bank | 15.55 |
| 13. Gulf African Bank | 15.68 |
| 14. Equity Bank | 16.02 |
| 15. Family Bank | 16.13 |
| 16. DIB Bank | 16.27 |
| 17. KCB | 16.40 |
| 18. Development Bank | 16.46 |
| 19. National Bank | 16.82 |
| 20. Guaranty Trust Bank | 16.85 |
| 21. Prime Bank | 16.85 |
| 22. African Banking Corporation | 17.19 |
| 23. Standard Chartered Bank | 17.32 |
| 24. Stanbic Bank | 17.49 |
| 25. M-Oriental Bank | 17.58 |
| 26. Bank of Baroda | 17.73 |
| 27. Citibank Kenya | 17.98 |
| 28. I&M Bank | 18.48 |
| 29. Bank of Africa | 18.51 |
The following banks were listed on the higher side of overall rates
Bank % Rate
30. Victoria Commercial Bank PLC 18.75
31. NCBA Bank Kenya PLC 19.12
32. Commercial International Bank (CIB) Kenya Limited 19.2
33. Sidian Bank Limited 19.74
34. ABSA Bank Kenya PLC 19.82
35. SBM Bank Kenya Limited 19.91
36. HFC Limited 20.21
37. Credit Bank PLC 20.32
38. Middle East Bank (K) Limited 20.96
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