Economy · Monetary policy rate · Kenya
Kenya’s monetary policy rate was 8.8% in 7 Oct 2026.
8.8%
7 Oct 2026
First published value.
Updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
8.8%
What it is. The monetary policy rate is the price the central bank sets for money at each meeting of its monetary policy committee. Banks use it as a reference when they price loans and deposits, so a change at one meeting can feed through to what households and firms pay to borrow. It is a single decided number that moves in steps between meetings, and it leaves out other tools the central bank uses, such as reserve requirements.
Neither way is good in itself. A higher rate makes borrowing dearer and tends to hold prices down, which helps savers and hurts borrowers. A lower rate does the opposite, so the right level depends on what the economy needs at the time. The latest figure, from 7 Oct 2026, is 8.8%. Since Oct 2026 the rate has stood at 8.8%, so the lowest and highest points in that span are the same.
Why it matters. At 8.8%, the rate sets the baseline against which Kenyan banks price loans to households and businesses, from mortgages to working capital. The government also watches it, because its own borrowing costs tend to move with the central bank's stance. The next committee meeting will show whether 8.8% holds.
| Period | Monetary policy rate · Kenya |
|---|---|
| 7 Oct 2026 | 8.8% |
Source: Central Bank of Kenya, Monetary Policy Committee press release, 7 October 2026 · Licence: Public central bank announcement, cited with attribution; reuse terms not separately reviewed
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Strata-AF™ Data, Monetary policy rate, Kenya, 7 Oct 2026; source Central Bank of Kenya, Monetary Policy Committee press release, 7 October 2026, retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/monetary-policy-rate/kenya
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
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Methodology
The central bank's policy rate, as set at each monetary policy committee meeting.
The central bank's main policy interest rate, as announced after each Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. Unit: %.
The rate used for each country: Nigeria, the Monetary Policy Rate; Kenya, the Central Bank Rate; South Africa, the policy rate (formerly the repo rate); Ghana, the Monetary Policy Rate; Egypt, the overnight deposit rate.
Source: each central bank's own MPC statement or communiqué, cited on every data point. Updated each time the MPC meets, whether or not the rate changes. Meeting dates differ by country, so points are not aligned.
Caution: the rates are not strictly comparable. Each central bank uses a different instrument and corridor, and Egypt's headline rate is a deposit rate.