Kenya signs Sh82 billion syndicated loan

Treasury principal secretary Kamau Thugge. FILE PHOTO |

What you need to know:

  • President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces re-election in August, has raised borrowing since taking power in April 2013.
  • Last week, he dismissed criticism of the higher borrowing, saying it was funding development.

Kenya has signed an $800 million (Sh82.4 billion) syndicated loan with four international lenders and the government has already drawn down the sum, a senior Treasury official said on Monday

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces re-election in August, has raised borrowing since taking power in April 2013.

Last week, he dismissed criticism of the higher borrowing, saying it was funding development.

In January, the government picked Standard Chartered, Standard Bank, Citi and Rand Merchant Bank to lead the syndicated loan.

"We signed and have already drawn down," Kamau Thugge, the National Treasury Principal Secretary, told Reuters.

A market source earlier told Reuters the deal was signed last Thursday. The terms were not immediately known.

Kenya has said it will raise Sh150 billion ($1.46 billion) from external commercial sources, partly to plug a fiscal deficit equal to 9.7 per cent of gross domestic product in its budget for the fiscal year to June 2017.

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