Skip to content

JEDCA MEDIA

Inform . Inspire . Empower

Primary Menu
  • Home
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • Tech News
  • Start-up
  • CRYPTOCURRENCY
  • INVESTING
  • Sustainability
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
Light/Dark Button
Watch
  • Home
  • Business News
  • World Bank Casts Doubt on Kenya’s Austerity Measures
  • Business News
  • Top Stories

World Bank Casts Doubt on Kenya’s Austerity Measures

Kevin Yego May 28, 2025 2 min read
Traders in the Market

Photo | courtesy.

The World Bank has raised alarms over Kenya’s escalating debt levels, classifying the nation as being at a high risk of default.

In its latest Kenya Economic Update, the Bank cautions that current austerity measures may not suffice to avert a fiscal crisis, urging the government to implement structural and governance reforms to stabilize the economy.

“Default will not be an easy solution for Kenya. In fact, we have seen that default is not an effective solution for anyone,” said Qimiao Fan, the World Bank Division Director for Kenya.

“A recent paper presenting evidence of some 221 default episodes shows that sovereign defaults, on average, reduce GDP per capita by some 8.5 percent, raise poverty by 6 percent within five years, and worsen other outcomes,” he added.

Government’s austerity measures

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said the government is implementing aggressive fiscal consolidation measures to cushion the country from defaulting, including Sh120 billion expenditure cut in the 2025/26 financial year.

The Treasury projects Sh559 billion in non-tax revenue, with a total deficit expected to reach Sh877 billion, to be financed through Sh284 billion in external borrowing and Sh592 billion domestically.

“We took the decision to be radical in terms of projecting our fiscal deficit and revenues,” Mbadi said. “We reduced our projected expenditure to below what was in the budget policy.”

However, World Bank economist Jorge Tudela Pye said that austerity alone may not be sufficient.

“Austerity measures alone might not be enough to get Kenya out of its fiscal hurdles. Structural and governance reforms are also needed,” Tudela noted.

World Bank economist Jorge Tudela Pye. Image | World Bank

The World Bank also revised Kenya’s 2025 economic growth forecast downward to 4.5 percent, citing high public debt, elevated lending rates, and a contraction in private sector credit. Private sector credit growth plunged to -1.4 percent in December 2024, compared to 13.9 percent a year prior, affecting key sectors like manufacturing, finance, and mining.

Tags: Business Economy World Bank

Post navigation

Previous Previous post:

Kenya’s Dairy Output Surges 56% in Q1 to 250 Million Litres

Milk containers
Next Next post:

Koko Networks Secures Sh23.2B World Bank Guarantee for Expansion

Koko

Related News

Kenya Airways plane
  • Business News

Kenya Airways Takes Loan Route to Boost Fleet – Here’s Why

August 27, 2025
Kenya Airways
  • Business News

Kenya Airways Returns to Losses as Operational Hurdles Mount

August 26, 2025
  • Apple to Launch iPhone 17 Series with Major Upgrades
  • YouTube Launches New “Hype” Feature But Africa Left Out
  • Kenya Airways Takes Loan Route to Boost Fleet – Here’s Why
  • Kenya Airways Returns to Losses as Operational Hurdles Mount
  • Unlocking SME Potential Through Strategic Partnerships

TOP Stories

President William Ruto and his Chinese counterpart XI Jinping
1 min read
  • Business News
  • Top Stories

Kenya Mulls Repaying Chinese Loan in Yuan. Here’s Why

Mabeya Davis August 21, 2025
SGA Security
2 min read
  • Top Stories

SGA Security Partners with ETA to Introduce EVs into its Operations

Jeff Mburu July 31, 2025
KRA employee.
2 min read
  • Business News
  • Top Stories

How KRA Recovered Sh86 B Under Tax Dispute Resolution Program

Phaisal Kutukai July 31, 2025
Auditor-general Nancy Gathungu.
2 min read
  • Top Stories

How Needy Students Were Left Out in New Higher Education Funding Model

NEWS DESK July 25, 2025
MOGO
2 min read
  • Top Stories

New MOGO Hotline Offers Lifeline to Kenyans Hit by Vehicle and Boda Boda Theft

Phidel Kizito July 23, 2025

Latest STORIES

Apple
  • Tech News

Apple to Launch iPhone 17 Series with Major Upgrades

August 27, 2025
YouTube Hype Feature
  • Tech News

YouTube Launches New “Hype” Feature But Africa Left Out

August 27, 2025
Kenya Airways plane
  • Business News

Kenya Airways Takes Loan Route to Boost Fleet – Here’s Why

August 27, 2025
Kenya Airways
  • Business News

Kenya Airways Returns to Losses as Operational Hurdles Mount

August 26, 2025
SMEs
  • Business News

Unlocking SME Potential Through Strategic Partnerships

August 23, 2025
President William Ruto and his Chinese counterpart XI Jinping
  • Business News
  • Top Stories

Kenya Mulls Repaying Chinese Loan in Yuan. Here’s Why

August 21, 2025
At JEDCA MEDIA, we (journalists) believe in the power of information to transform lives, ignite conversations, and build a more informed and engaged global community. We are a dynamic media organization committed to delivering accurate, insightful, and impactful news that empowers You. We provide advertising services that meet your client's needs.

Email: info@jedcamedia.com
Call Us: +254745489330
  • Business News
  • CRYPTOCURRENCY
  • INVESTING
  • Start-up
  • Sustainability News
  • Tech News
  • Top Stories
  • WEALTH AND INVESTMENTS
  • Your Health
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us | Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 JEDCA MEDIA NETWORK | All Rights Reserved. | ChromeNews by AF themes.

Cookie Settings.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More

Decline Cookie Settings
Accept Accept All
Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.
For more information on how Google's third party cookies operate and handle your data, see: Google's Privacy Policy
  • Necessary
    Always Active
    Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
    Name Domain Purpose Expiry Type
    wpl_user_preference jedcamedia.com WP GDPR Cookie Consent Preferences. 1 year HTTP
    YSC youtube.com YouTube session cookie. 55 years HTTP

  • Marketing
    Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.
    Name Domain Purpose Expiry Type
    __gads jedcamedia.com Google advertising cookie set on the websites domain (unlike the other Google advertising cookies that are set on doubleclick.net domain). According to Google the cookie serves purposes such as measuring interactions with the ads on that domain and preventing the same ads from being shown to you too many times. 1 year HTTP
    VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE youtube.com YouTube cookie. 6 months HTTP

  • Analytics
    Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
    Name Domain Purpose Expiry Type
    _ga jedcamedia.com Google Universal Analytics long-time unique user tracking identifier. 2 years HTTP
    IDE doubleclick.net Google advertising cookie used for user tracking and ad targeting purposes. 2 years HTTP

  • Preferences
    Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in.
    Name Domain Purpose Expiry Type
    NID google.com Google unique id for preferences. 6 months HTTP
    JEDCA MEDIA jedcamedia.com We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, personalize content, and serve relevant ads. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our use of cookies. You can manage your preferences in our Privacy Policy. 365 DAYS HTTP

  • Unclassified
    Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies.
    Name Domain Purpose Expiry Type
    nitroCachedPage jedcamedia.com --- 55 years ---
    _ga_MFHCHTY935 jedcamedia.com --- 2 years ---
    test_cookie doubleclick.net Google advertising domain. Session HTTP
    tnp-popup-count jedcamedia.com --- 1 month ---
    __gpi jedcamedia.com --- 1 year ---
    __eoi jedcamedia.com --- 6 months ---
    __Secure-ROLLOUT_TOKEN youtube.com --- 6 months ---
    VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA youtube.com --- 6 months ---

Cookie Settings