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By Jackson OKOTH
KCB Group Shareholders will be smiling all the way to the bank to collect their fat dividend cheque after the lender declared a handsome payment on their shares, worth KSh 13 billion.
This huge payout has excited the appetites of investors at the Nairobi Securities Exchange(NSE), especially those who have been anxious about the impact of the sale by the lender of its loss-making National Bank of Kenya(NBK) subsidiary.
The Group, a dominant regional player with a presence in 7 countries in the Eastern Africa region, sold 100% of its shareholding in NBK to Nigeria’s Access Bank, a deal that was concluded on May 30th 2025.
The lender’s Balance Sheet size remained at KSh 1.97 trillion even as it disposed assets that were held by NBK.KCB operates as a leading financial services provider in East Africa, with outlets in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In an effort to boost its digital footprint, KCB has refurbished its mobile App platform, effective 11th August 2025, with new exciting plug-ins and a powerful Artificial Intelligence, data analytics and an APP ecosystem, a platform that is designed to cater for scale, agility and inclusivity.
The Group’s Board has declared an interim dividend of KSh. 2.00 per share for 2025, plus a special dividend of KSh. 2.00 per share totalling KSh 4 per share or a sum of KSh 13B, the largest interim payout and first-ever special dividend in the lender’s history. This payout is to be paid in November 2025 to those on the register at the close of business on 3rd September 2025.
Last year, KCB paid its shareholders KSh 4.82 interim dividend.
KCB is currently the 4th most valuable stock at the NSE, with a market capitalization of KSh 159 billion, which is about 6.23% of the NSE equity market. The current price of KCB is KSh 52.75.
In a pre-announcement frenzy, the KCB counter closed its trading yesterday at KSh 49.35 per share, posting a 1.8% gain over the previous closing price of KSh 48.50.
KCB shares began the year with a share price of KSh 41.60 and has since gained 18.6% on that price valuation, ranking it 33rd on the NSE in terms of year-to-date performance. The stock has accrued 8% over the past four-week period as investors reacted to the anticipated strong half-year numbers.
The lender’s net profit rose 8% from KSh 29.9 billion at the end of the half-year ended 30th June 2024 to KSh 32.3 billion at the close of June 2025.
The Group’s loan book grew to KSh 1.18 trillion, an increase of 2.8% while customer deposits increased to KSh 1.48 trillion. While 99% of KCB customers perform their transactions on digital platforms, the lender has maintained expansion of its brick and mortar branches.
In the period under review, KCB has opened new branches in Kamakis, Ayany, Haile Selassie Avenue in Nairobi, Village Market, Zanzibar and BPR (MTN Centre Branch).