The NSE 25 rose 38.52% on Monday, August 10, 2026, lifted by banks and mid-caps even as Safaricom slipped 0.8% after annual results. Standard Group led gainers with a 12.4% jump, while KCB, Equity and DTB dominated turnover.
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Kenyan equities opened the week with an unusually sharp contrast: the NSE 25 jumped 38.52% to 4,197.02 points on Monday, August 10, 2026, even as market breadth stayed negative at 18 gainers, 35 losers and 3 unchanged. That gap matters because it shows the move was driven by a handful of heavyweight counters and targeted buying in financials rather than a broad-based rise in NSE share prices.
Key figures
- NSE 25: 4,197.02 points (+38.52%)
- SGL: +12.4% at 6.36 KES
- CGEN: +8.2% at 194.75 KES
- SCOM: -0.8% on 87.8 million KES turnover
- KCB: 100.0 million KES turnover, +0.3%
Market context
In detail, NSE Kenya today was active but highly selective. The top gainers were led by Standard Group, up 12.4% to 6.36 KES, followed by Car and General Kenya at +8.2% to 194.75 KES and Jubilee Holdings at +5.4% to 421.75 KES. Africa Mega Agricorp rose 4.3% to 121.0 KES, Carbacid added 2.9% to 37.0 KES, and Unga Group gained 2.8% to 33.4 KES.
Losses, however, were more numerous and in some cases deeper. East African Breweries fell 4.8% to 271.25 KES, Nation Media Group dropped 4.4% to 13.0 KES, Centum lost 4.9% to 17.5 KES, and Limuru Tea slid 5.7% to 495.0 KES. Shri Krishana Overseas, which released financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, according to NSE announcements, fell 7.1% to 13.0 KES, suggesting the filing did not provide enough support for the stock.
That divergence between the index and market breadth can be explained partly by turnover concentration in banks and a few large caps. KCB Group posted 100.0 million KES in traded value for a modest 0.3% gain, ahead of Safaricom with 87.8 million KES traded despite a 0.8% decline, then Equity Group at 63.0 million KES of turnover for a 2.3% rise. Diamond Trust Bank traded 30.0 million KES, while Co-operative Bank posted 28.0 million KES, both ending higher.
Banks carried the market while Safaricom digested results
The main story of the session was the banking sector’s ability to lift the index even as Safaricom, the market’s defining heavyweight, slipped after earnings. Equity Group rose 2.3% to 87.5 KES, Diamond Trust Bank gained 2.3% to 158.0 KES, Absa Bank Kenya added 1.5% to 33.9 KES, NCBA rose 1.1% to 92.0 KES, Co-operative Bank gained 0.8% to 36.3 KES, I&M Holdings added 0.7% to 68.5 KES, and KCB edged up 0.3%. The pattern points to investor preference for lenders seen as better placed to defend margins in a more demanding currency environment.
The clearest macro input for Nairobi on Monday was the move in the shilling. USD/KES rose 0.81% to 129.4, a meaningful shift for a market where banks are exposed to trade finance, regional operations and foreign-currency flows. A weaker shilling can support some fee and treasury lines, even as it raises imported cost pressures and debt-servicing risks for dollar-exposed borrowers. That matters even more with Brent crude up 3.1% on the day to $86.13 a barrel and 8.4% over the week, increasing the risk of a higher fuel import bill for Kenya.
That backdrop helps explain why Safaricom’s 0.8% decline should not be read too simply. The telecom released audited results for the year ended March 31, 2026, according to the NSE, and the stock still drew 87.8 million KES in turnover. Without the detailed earnings line items in the data available here, it would be wrong to overstate the reason for the move. But the price action looks more like post-results profit-taking than a wholesale exit. For the safaricom share price today, the market appears to be balancing the structural strength of M-Pesa against the usual questions around costs, competition and the pace of the Ethiopia expansion. For added context, see Bourse de Nairobi — SCOM recule de 3,6% sur 5 jours après ses résultats 2026.
Mid-caps, earnings releases and sector rotation
Beyond banks, the session also featured a rotation into mid-caps tied either to announcements or opportunistic flows. Standard Group delivered the day’s strongest gain at 12.4%, despite no specific company filing listed among the day’s official announcements, which may point to a catch-up move in a relatively less liquid counter. Car and General rose 8.2% to 194.75 KES on the same day it published consolidated audited financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2025, giving the market a clearer fundamental catalyst.
Jubilee Holdings, up 5.4%, also helped support the index, while KenGen rose 1.4% to 11.0 KES. Total Kenya added only 0.5% to 43.7 KES despite Brent’s 3.1% rise, a reminder that oil-price transmission into downstream fuel distributors on the NSE is neither immediate nor linear. It depends on regulated margins, inventory effects and the timing of domestic price adjustments.
On the losing side, several consumer and media names came under pressure. EABL fell 4.8%, a notable move for a regional demand bellwether. Nation Media Group lost 4.4% on the day it released audited 2025 results, according to the NSE, suggesting the market found the numbers or outlook underwhelming. Limuru Tea dropped 5.7% after its annual results, while Eaagads fell 3.7%; flat coffee prices at $335.55 and a 3.2% rise in cocoa do not directly support those names, while logistics and energy costs remain sensitive to oil.
Why the exchange’s own announcements matter
Monday’s story was not only about share prices. The NSE announced the appointment of Sterling Capital Limited as a market maker in the NEXT derivatives market, the admission of Fintrust Securities Limited as an Authorized Securities Dealer in fixed income, and the upcoming listing of the Satrix MSCI World Feeder ETF, according to official exchange releases. That package matters because it broadens product access for Kenyan investors and could gradually deepen the market beyond domestic equities.
The exchange also issued a retail-access expansion announcement and several AGM-related documents, including 71st and 72nd AGM notices. In a market where liquidity is often concentrated in fewer than 10 counters on many sessions, measures that improve market-making, product breadth and retail participation can have more lasting significance than one-day swings in small-cap names. They also add a new layer to the Nairobi stock exchange today narrative by linking local investing more directly to global markets.
Outlook
The next focus will be how the market digests the earnings releases from Safaricom, Nation Media Group, Car and General and other issuers that filed on August 10, 2026. Traders will also be watching the impact of USD/KES at 129.4 and Brent at $86.13 on banks, consumer stocks and energy-linked names, as well as the operational details around the planned Satrix MSCI World Feeder ETF and the new market-making framework on NEXT. For now, Monday’s session delivered a clear message: the headline index surged, but the strength in the Kenyan market remained narrow, concentrated in financials and a few specific counters rather than spread across the full board.
