World Bank Stories

Mombasa water project sparks outrage in Mwembe Tayari over job promises, disruptions
Farhiya Hussein  |  Aug 14, 2025

According to residents, the trench digging has disrupted businesses, restricted access to shops, and damaged sections of pedestrian walkways.

KeNHA revises Isiolo-Mandera road project, adds new features to enhance cross-border links
Abdirahman Khalif  |  Aug 06, 2025

The road, once complete, is expected to play a major role in connecting remote parts of Northern Kenya to national and regional markets.

Sh438 million water agency loan default piles pressure on taxpayers eight years on, Auditor General warns
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 03, 2025

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, in her audit report for the financial year ending June 2024, disclosed that the authority, tasked with overseeing the...

At least 22 dead in Angola amid protests over fuel price hike
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jul 31, 2025

Reports indicate that over 200 people have been injured and more than 1,200 arrested during the demonstrations, which were marked by widespread vandal...

World Bank: Mobile money fuels 114 per cent surge in financial inclusion in Kenya
Alfred Onyango  |  Jul 27, 2025

The growth is largely attributed to the widespread adoption of mobile money platforms, which continue to reshape the country’s financial landscape.

World Bank withholds Sh96.93 billion loan to Kenya over delayed reforms
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 24, 2025

The loan, part of the World Bank’s Development Policy Operations (DPO) facility, was expected this month but now hangs in the balance over unmet refor...

Food insecurity in Africa persists as poor infrastructure hampers supply chains – World Bank
Alfred Onyango  |  Jul 23, 2025

In its report titled "Transport Connectivity for Food Security in Africa", the World Bank notes that although food production has increased over the y...

World Bank unveils Sh16.5 billion initiative to empower Kenya’s vulnerable groups
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 22, 2025

According to the World Bank, the funds will go through existing government systems, particularly the National Safety Net Program, to provide structure...

Treasury CS John Mbadi explains why State shunned subsidy as fuel prices hike
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 17, 2025

Fuel subsidies previously helped keep prices in check, preventing increases of up to Sh9 per litre for diesel, Sh7 for petrol, and Sh8 for kerosene. B...

World Bank assures Kenya’s debt sustainable if properly managed
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Jul 16, 2025

World Bank Country Director for Kenya, Qimiao Fan, emphasised that the sustainability of Kenya’s debt should not be judged only by the current numbers...

KNH invests Sh7.6 million in solar energy to lower electricity bills
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 04, 2025

The project is being supported by EIB Global, the development arm of the European Investment Bank and Germany’s development agency GIZ.

World Bank urges Somalia to strengthen revenue efforts to support economic stability
Mary Wambui  |  Jun 30, 2025

Somalia's domestic revenue, which comes second as the country's source of resources, has over the years remained low, with the World Bank now urging r...

World Bank: Poverty reduction in Africa stalls as widening inequality slows economic progress
Alfred Onyango  |  Jun 25, 2025

The report notes that Africa has seen little improvement since the mid-2010s, with the region now home to more than 60 per cent of the world’s extreme...

World Bank: Africa remains biggest development challenge despite 25 years of progress
Alfred Onyango  |  Jun 24, 2025

The World Bank adds that in the early 2000s, Africa enjoyed strong economic growth driven by high commodity prices and a surge in foreign capital infl...

Foreign direct investment inflows to developing nations fall to 18-year low, threatening job growth - report
Alfred Onyango  |  Jun 18, 2025

FDI inflows to emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) have weakened steadily as a share of their GDP since the global financial crisis

Bleak outlook as CBK reveals one in three firms won’t hire in 2025
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jun 18, 2025

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that 782,300 new jobs were created in 2024, a drop from 848,100 the year before.

World Bank raises poverty line to $3 a day, pushing millions into ‘extreme poverty’ category
Alfred Onyango  |  Jun 12, 2025

Ideally, this means a person will now be considered poor if he or she lives on less than $3.00 per day, up from the previous $2.15.

World Bank downgrades Kenya's GDP growth to 4.5 per cent in June projection
Alfred Onyango  |  Jun 11, 2025

The projection also represents a significant cut from its earlier forecast of 5.0 per cent growth made in January.

World Bank approves Sh38.9 billion to boost Tanzania’s disaster preparedness
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jun 09, 2025

The initiative, comprising three key pillars, aims to strengthen Tanzania's economic resilience and enhance its technical, financial and institutional...

World Bank delays Sh96.9 billion loan to Kenya over anti-corruption law standoff
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jun 05, 2025

The government now plans to borrow Sh591.9 billion from the local credit market to bridge a Sh876.1 billion budget deficit in the financial year start...

Over 800,000 youths to benefit from Sh20 billion Nyota project- Ruto
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 01, 2025

Ruto emphasised that it aims to support at least 70 youths per ward across the country by providing grant funding, business training, and market linka...

World Bank urges 16 per cent VAT on meat, wheat flour, avocado, coffee to boost Kenya’s revenue
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 01, 2025

The lender argues that taxing these items would expand fiscal space without burdening the poor, as they form a minor part of low-income households’ sp...

World Bank urges Kenya to implement fuel carbon tax for Sh40.5 billion revenue boost
Alfred Onyango  |  May 30, 2025

However, the Bank strongly recommends imposing the tax on fuels at the point of entry into the country, saying this would better reflect the true soci...

World Bank flags wasteful spending on public servants’ travel allowances
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 29, 2025

When travelling abroad, especially to the United States, civil servants receive about $513 (Sh66,317) daily, a figure the World Bank says needs urgent...

Why Kenya risks losing billions if it ignores World Bank public sector reform recommendations
Lucy Mumbi  |  May 28, 2025

The World Bank indicated that inefficiencies in payroll management, excessive allowances and unchecked staff expansion, particularly at the county lev...

World Bank urges scrapping of SHIF deductions for low-wage workers, cites threats to UHC goals
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 27, 2025

A recent World Bank report states that the 2.75 per cent SHIF payroll deduction places a financial strain on low-income workers and small businesses.

World Bank warns of mounting fiscal pressure as Kenya faces debt distress risk
Alfred Onyango  |  May 27, 2025

The lender highlights the narrowing room for manoeuvre in the country’s budget, driven by ballooning debt servicing costs, persistent revenue shortfal...

World Bank: Africa risks missing growth dream amid rising conflict, fragile reforms
Alfred Onyango  |  May 14, 2025

World Bank pegs the shortfall to the occurrence of political violence on the continent, which increased about eightfold between 2000 and 2023, and wit...

Turkana to take over Sh2bn infrastructure project under Kenya–South Sudan Link Road Programme
Issa Hussein  |  May 11, 2025

The inspection team urged local communities to form leadership committees to oversee the proper utilisation of the facilities, which are expected to b...

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