News and Analysis
July 27, 2026
Welcome to the Money News Roundup. In today's edition, we cover the 34,016 promotion vacancies announced by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). We also look at how the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) traced Ksh15.65 billion in suspected illicit wealth through suspicious bank transaction reports.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has advertised 34,016 promotion vacancies for teachers in public primary schools, secondary schools and teachers' training colleges for the 2026/27 financial year.
As reported by Nation, the vacancies span 30 job cadres, from Senior Teacher II to Chief Principal, with applications to be submitted online through the TSC portal by August 10, 2026. The commission said manual applications will not be accepted.
The promotions follow the allocation of Ksh2 billion in the current budget and are expected to ease career stagnation affecting thousands of teachers.
The largest number of vacancies includes 13,490 Senior Teacher II, 5,956 Senior Master IV and 4,210 Senior Teacher I positions.
The recruitment comes amid pressure from teachers' unions, which have urged the TSC to clear a long-standing promotion backlog affecting more than 135,000 teachers.
The Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) says it traced Ksh15.65 billion in suspected illicit wealth in the year to December 2025 after analysing suspicious bank and financial transactions linked to corruption, economic crimes and unexplained wealth.
According to the agency, banks accounted for 85.7% of the 9,571 suspicious transaction reports received in 2025, an 18.8% increase from the previous year. The reports triggered investigations by the DCI, EACC, KRA and Assets Recovery Agency (ARA).
The FRC said much of the identified wealth includes proceeds of corruption, unexplained wealth and high-value public land, with some assets already preserved pending recovery.
The KRA used the intelligence to raise Ksh590.75 million in tax assessments and recover Ksh307 million. The FRC receives reports from banks, insurers, Saccos, mobile money providers, real estate agents, casinos and other reporting institutions to combat money laundering and financial crime.
The Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) has moved to the High Court seeking to stop the government's plan to charge motorists Ksh8 per kilometre to use the Nairobi-Mau Summit road under a 30-year PPP framework.
As reported by Nation, Cofek argues the government cannot impose mandatory tolls on an existing taxpayer-funded highway without providing a practical toll-free alternative. It says the proposed charges would increase transport costs and push up consumer prices.
The case was transferred from the Milimani High Court to the High Court in Kisumu, where similar petitions are already pending.
Part of the 233-kilometre project, to cost Ksh192 billion, will be implemented by a consortium of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and NSSF, while another section will be undertaken by Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International, which plans to charge motorists Ksh8.50 per kilometre on its stretch.
Meanwhile, as reported by the Business Daily, the National Treasury's PPP Directorate says the feasibility study for the planned 243-kilometre Mau Summit-Malaba dual toll highway will begin in the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. The project will expand the road from two lanes to four.
Goods worth Ksh629 billion exported from China to Kenya in 2025 do not appear in KRAimport records, raising concerns over possible customs revenue leakages.
Chinese customs data shows exports to Kenya were worth Ksh1.3 trillion, compared to Ksh672 billion recorded by the KRA, leaving a gap equivalent to nearly half of China's reported exports. The discrepancy has persisted for five years, with the cumulative gap reaching Ksh2.76 trillion between 2021 and 2025.
Economists say the mismatch could point to under-declaration of imports, trade mis-invoicing or other customs leakages that may have cost the government billions in tax revenue.
The Treasury has previously said it plans to work with Chinese tax authorities to verify the value of high-risk imports and curb revenue losses. Customs taxes remain one of the KRA's largest revenue sources, contributing Ksh733.7 billion in the nine months to March 2026. Read more
Britam Connect has launched Bima ya Wafanyikazi, a medical insurance cover for domestic and informal workers, with premiums starting at Ksh336 per month.
As reported by Capital Business, underwritten by Britam and distributed through Minet Kenya Insurance Brokers, the cover includes inpatient, outpatient, maternity, dental, optical and last expense benefits.
It is available to individual workers, employers and registered worker associations. Britam says the product aims to bridge a major healthcare gap, noting that more than 90% of domestic workers in Kenya lack medical insurance.
SBM Holdings of Mauritius has injected Ksh814 million into SBM Bank Kenya in the first six months of 2026 to strengthen capital and support business growth. The latest Ksh400 million investment increased the bank's paid-up capital to Ksh4.75 billion, following an earlier Ksh414 million injection.
The lender said the funds will boost capital adequacy and support expansion as its loan book grew 15.1% to Ksh54 billion, while customer deposits rose 14.1% to Ksh94 billion by the end of June.
SBM Bank posted an 88.1% increase in half-year net profit to Ksh380.1 million, driven by lower deposit costs. This marks the fourth consecutive year SBM Holdings has injected fresh capital into its Kenyan subsidiary. Read more
Wealthy Kenyan families are increasingly turning to family trusts, prenuptial agreements and formal governance structures to protect their wealth as younger generations marry later and often enter relationships with significant personal assets.
As reported by Business Daily, wealth advisers say the focus has shifted from controlling who family members marry to ensuring family businesses and inherited wealth remain protected regardless of marital outcomes.
Structures such as trusts, family companies, shareholder agreements and family constitutions are helping preserve wealth, prevent disputes and support smooth succession.
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