October 2019

16Oct

Kenya. Pensions uptake low as returns increase

The country’s pension penetration remains at a 15 per cent low despite returns growing at an average 10.7 per cent annually over the past six years. According to a report by Cytonn Asset Managers the retirement benefits assets under management in the pension funds industry grew eight per cent to Sh1.2 trillion as of December 2018. The report shows fund managers are still relying on traditional, low-risk assets such as government securities and equities which cumulatively accounted for 56.7...

October 16, 2019
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September 2019

27Sep

Linking financial services and social protection for resilience: lessons from Kenya

Climate-related shocks and stresses threaten people and communities around the world, compounding existing poverty and vulnerability and undermining long-term development. National and international actors are searching for new and better ways to help people deal with increasing climate risks and, in turn, support long-term resilience. One potential way of doing this is to facilitate access to, and use of, adequate financial services such as savings, loans and insurance in underserved communities. The role of social protection (SP) programmes in helping...

September 27, 2019
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13Sep

Kenya. Treasury to introduce risk policy for financial markets

•The micro-prudential banking policy is expected to mitigate risks likely to emerge during downturns in key sectors including banks, pension schemes, insurance and capital markets to safeguard capital and liquidity adequacy. •According to National Treasury CS Ukur Yatani, the banks should assess the market to ensure that competition viewed as a sign of market dynamism, does not pose as a potential source of new risks that will have adverse consequences in the future. The National Treasury is formulating...

September 13, 2019
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August 2019

21Aug

Statistics indicate more Kenyans now willing to save

According to industry figures, there has been enormous appetite for a pension which has seen the industry total pension funds under guaranteed arrangement grow from Ksh. 163 billion to 183.7 billion a growth rate of 12.7% despite the heavy withdrawals during the same period which was as a result of mergers & acquisition and closure of big stores like Nakumatt in 2018. It is projected that pension under this class will grow to 300 billion shillings by 2020...

August 21, 2019
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01Aug

Kenya. 3 Fintech firms admitted into CMA regulatory sandbox

Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has admitted three fintech firms into its regulatory sandbox, allowing them to live test innovative solutions with the capacity to deepen and enhance the efficiency of capital markets. The firms include Innova Limited, Pezesha Africa Limited and a third firm which remains anonymous. Innova will test its cloud-based data analytics platform designed for use by Investors, Fund Managers, Custodian Banks, Actuaries, Pension Administrators and Regulators. Pezesha will test an internet-based crowd-funding platform through which investors...

August 1, 2019
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July 2019

15Jul

Kenya: We Are Not Paying Ghosts, Pensions Chief Tells Auditor

The Pensions Department has accused Auditor-General Edward Ouko of misrepresenting facts by saying Sh67.9 billion was paid to ghost retirees. Mr Ouko, in a report tabled at the National Assembly two weeks ago, said individuals at the National Treasury may have taken advantage of the weaknesses in the Pensions Management Information System (PMIS) to authorise irregular payments. Of the money paid out, some 962 claimants received Sh1.6 billion -- which was made way before the end of their service...

July 15, 2019
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June 2019

21Jun

Kenya Pension Funds Too Big on Bonds, $39 Billion Firm Says

Kenyan retirees may be missing out on better returns because of the over-emphasis local pension fund managers place on domestic fixed-income assets, according to money manager Allan Gray. Retirement fund managers in East Africa’s largest economy invested less than 2% of their assets offshore, well short of the 15% allowed by the industry regulator as of the end of 2018, figures from the country’s Retirement Benefits Authority show. They cut allocations to equities to 17%, the lowest in at...

June 21, 2019
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04Jun

Kenya. Devolved pensions owed Sh24bn dues on key date

The pension industry Monday kicked off the 90th anniversary celebrations for the local authorities’ schemes (LapTrust) reeling from Sh24 billion dues unremitted by the counties. County Pension Fund chief executive Hosea Kili said if paid, pension schemes will partner with the government under a private-public arrangement for implementation of the low-cost housing schemes in major urban centres. “This is an opportunity for Kenyan workers to contribute towards development of their country by using pension funds to build low-cost houses...

June 4, 2019
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May 2019

30May

Kenya. Headcount reveals 40,000 ghost pensioners on payroll

Taxpayers have been paying billions of shillings to ghost pensioners after a headcount revealed that about 40,000 retired civil servants are dead and remain on the state payroll. The Pensions Department said Wednesday the two-month census that started in February did not capture about 50,000 pensioners, adding that it has confirmed that 40,000 of them are dead. The State had been paying relatives and dependants of dead people retirement benefits, helped by the growing use of ATM cards and...

May 30, 2019
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22May

Kenya. Retirements regulator strategic plan to boost assets

The pensions sector dropped in performance of various investments in the past year, a report has shown. The decrease in the assets during the half-year was attributed to the volatility in the stock market of which investment in quoted equities decreased by 19.83 per cent. The performance is, however, better than the year before, with marginal increases recorded. The top five fund managers during the period were Sanlam Investments East Africa, GenAfrica Asset Managers, Old Mutual Investment...

May 22, 2019
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