Herald Aloo

Business Journalist @PeopleDailyKe @NationAfrica @TheAfricaReport and @KenyaNewsAgency

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

East African nations are pivoting towards a regional value-chain approach ➡️ https://t.co/R15VBj2eDR by partnering with Aliko Dangote to build a joint refinery in Tanzania.

Read more in @HeraldAloo's report.

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

@KeEquityBank has “dialled down the operations into maintenance” in South Sudan to limit downside risks, according to CEO James Mwangi while Stanbic Holdings has shelved plans to convert its Juba branch into a fully fledged subsidiary, effectively capping fresh capital need.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Foreign banks are turning to a capital-light, defensive stance in South Sudan, ➡️ https://t.co/FVitlLmGcU treating the war-ravaged market as a frontier opportunity to be maintained rather than a core engine for growth, writes @HeraldAloo.

[Mwango Capital @MwangoCapital]

Over the weekend, Equity Group Holdings CEO James Mwangi said that President Ruto personally introduced him to Mozambique’s leadership, thereby unlocking immediate access and trust for market-entry discussions.

Follows closely on the Group’s Angola expansion signals.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Equity Group is restructuring to spin off its technology and data divisions ➡️ https://t.co/nfnzQEGzxd into an independent entity by late 2026, aiming to decouple its high-growth fintech operations from its core banking business.

Report by @HeraldAloo.

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

#Russia, facing heavy losses in Ukraine, is turning to Africa to replenish its ranks using secret agents.

#Kenya's Global Face Human Resources and Ecopillars Manpower; #Ghana's Fly Away Travel & Tour; and #Nigeria's St.Fortunes Travels are active.

https://t.co/0wGbyNMBOb

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Continental Re in fresh IPO to raise capital: Gaborone, Nairobi or Johannesburg? https://t.co/lGCXFNrGPU

By @HeraldAloo

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Kampala is pressing for more fiscal space to pursue growth as it negotiates a new IMF programme worth SDR475m ($674.5m; USh2.4trn), ➡️ https://t.co/KBuoFrQGge even as Fund officials push for the government to narrow its budget deficit from the current level of about 7.6% of GDP.

Read more in @HeraldAloo's report.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Negotiators are pressing for tighter debt-management rules as the IMF raises concerns over Kenya’s securitisation plan and weak revenues in talks for a new programme. https://t.co/0vX9k7Sz0J

By @HeraldAloo

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

The Kenyan national carrier’s efficiency drive has been hampered by a shortage of Boeing aircraft, causing it to continue with a mixed fleet. https://t.co/5BB9WUqQsA

By @HeraldAloo

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

Literally…..The little girl left in Kingstone town.
#RIPRailaOdinga

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

@StanbicKE position on potential acqusition of @NCBABankKenya

The bank has for years denied this transaction. In a recent interview, CEO Oigara said when opportunity comes, they will seize - just not now. But it can’t be a small bank. So, which is this preferred big bank?

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

"We are now starting to craft what our international strategy would be and where new markets will be," Capitec CEO Graham Lee tells The Africa Report.

➡️ https://t.co/AjMp7t9J29

Interview by @HeraldAloo.

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

Kicking the can down the road to get some fiscal space. Early 2030s now fully packed with Eurobond maturities.
The massive oversubscription can be signs of improving investors’ confidence but let’s not forget issuances have been quite few in Africa.

[The National Treasury @KeTreasury]

We’ve received requests for an explainer ,here, it is below 👇🏼

KENYA RAISES USD 1.5 BILLION (Sh193.5 BILLION) AT LOWER COST AND PAYS OLD DEBT EARLY.

The Government has successfully raised USD 1.5 billion (Sh193.5 billion) from international investors and at the same time tendered to pay off the outstanding USD 1 billion of the 2028 Eurobond ahead of schedule.

This is the third such transaction since 2024, and it shows the Government’s firm commitment to managing debt more wisely, paying off loans on time, and protecting Kenyans from sudden repayment shocks.

The money was raised in two parts:

A 7-year bond of USD 750 million at 7.875%, and
A 12-year bond of USD 750 million at 8.8%,
together giving Kenya a better rate of 8.7%, which is 1% lower than what the country would have paid at the start of the year.

By securing this deal, the Government has also smoothened and lengthened debt repayments, giving Kenya more breathing space in managing its finances.

The response from investors was very strong. The Government asked for USD 1.5 billion, but investors offered more than USD 7.5 billion five times the amount needed.

Most of this support came from trusted international fund managers in the United States America and the United Kingdom, showing that the world has renewed confidence in Kenya’s economy.

This success means Kenya will spend less on interest, ease pressure on taxpayers, and keep the economy stable while creating room to fund development priorities such as roads, health, and education.

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

Ethiopia is eyeing external market (its hydropower already outstrips current demand). Kenya must first sort the thinning power reserve margin before thinking of exports.

Will Kenya catch up? Or will Ethiopia move fast to be Africa’s third nuclear power host after SA and Egypt?

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Ethiopia, a hydropower giant, and Kenya, a leader in geothermal generation, are racing for dominance in East Africa’s energy supply. ➡️ https://t.co/JldJ242Jpm Both nations are ramping up investment in nuclear power — a diversification that is likely to strengthen Asia’s influence in the region.

Read more in @HeraldAloo's latest piece for The Africa Report.

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

Massive tag-team here between @AlikoDangote, Ethiopia and Chinese contractors. The Gode urea plant, backed by Dangote Group and Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), is designed for 3m tonnes a year.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Can a fertiliser mega-project and a Chinese-built refinery shift Ethiopia’s energy and industry from import dependence to self-supply? ➡️ https://t.co/dixL1Tybyb

Report by @michaelmasrie.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Ethiopia, a hydropower giant, and Kenya, a leader in geothermal generation, are racing for dominance in East Africa’s energy supply. ➡️ https://t.co/JldJ242Jpm Both nations are ramping up investment in nuclear power — a diversification that is likely to strengthen Asia’s influence in the region.

Read more in @HeraldAloo's latest piece for The Africa Report.

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

There are talks to form an SPV to fund this hydro project. While the search for new SPV partners is still on, the odds appear to favour Chinese firms.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Competition for hydropower generation in East Africa is gradually unfolding as Kenya revives its plans to build a 700MW power station ➡️ https://t.co/IoWMbk0wEz at High Grand Falls Dam in Tana River – the third-largest in the region after Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Report by @HeraldAloo.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Kenya Airways is scouting opportunities in Southern and West Africa following the withdrawal of South African Airways after years of losses and a sharply reduced fleet.

➡️ https://t.co/i1R7ps3Xzj

“We are looking for one or two airlines that will join in this venture then we start this journey together. It is going to be progressive and likely to take long,” KQ’s chief executive, Allan Kilavuka, tells The Africa Report.

Report by @HeraldAloo.

[The Africa Report @TheAfricaReport]

Kenya Commercial Bank's CEO @Saagite remains upbeat about acquisition ➡️ https://t.co/wNWnyxoTL5 options in Ethiopia and is prepared to consider greenfield investment.

Report by @HeraldAloo.

[Herald Aloo @HeraldAloo]

@WilliamsRuto departs for Spain and UK.
Key agenda is this Nrb Railway City project, which has taken years to start. Ruto held groundbreaking ceremony in Dec 2022. But that was the end - no contracts awarded and funds held by UK investors.

https://t.co/3s0JCBDF87