Kenya’s gross domestic debt rose to KSh7.726 trillion by September 11, from KSh7.668 trillion a week earlier, according to the Central Bank of Kenya’s Weekly Bulletin dated September 18, 2026. The increase came as the government continued to raise funds through domestic securities. Treasury bonds represented the largest component, at KSh6.415 trillion, or 83.02 per cent of the total.
Treasury bills accounted for KSh1.198 trillion. The bulletin also recorded a KSh13.91 billion government overdraft at the Central Bank and KSh100.25 billion in other domestic debt. Together, the figures show that longer-term bonds make up the bulk of the reported domestic stock, while bills and other obligations form the remainder.
Recent auctions drew bids above the amounts on offer. At the September 17 Treasury bill auction, investors submitted KSh42.7 billion in bids against an advertised KSh28 billion, a performance rate of 152.6 per cent. The bulletin said rates on 182-day and 364-day bills declined during the period, while the 91-day rate edged up slightly. Reopened 20-year and 30-year bonds offered on September 16 attracted KSh81.4 billion in bids against a KSh60 billion target, equivalent to 135.7 per cent.
Financial corporations remained the largest holders of government securities, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the stock. Commercial banks held about 34.4 per cent, while pension funds and insurance companies also held significant portions. The concentration means that domestic government borrowing is closely represented on the balance sheets of Kenya’s banks, pension funds and insurers; the bulletin’s ownership breakdown does not, by itself, specify the effect on lending or investment decisions.
The same bulletin reported that remittances rose 6 per cent year on year to KSh58.6 billion in August, using the prevailing exchange rate. However, total remittances over the 12 months to August were about KSh649.8 billion, below approximately KSh658.4 billion in the comparable period a year earlier. These foreign-exchange inflows are reported alongside the rising domestic debt stock, but the two series describe different parts of the country’s financial picture.
The CBK publishes the domestic debt components regularly, including bills, bonds, overdrafts and other obligations. The latest weekly figures show both the scale of the government’s local borrowing and continued investor demand at the cited auctions; they do not indicate how future auction results or debt totals will develop.