The Kenyan shilling traded at Sh129.96 to the US dollar on Thursday, October 29, 2026, according to the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) daily exchange rates, staying just under the Sh130 mark as October draws to a close.
The rate is one cent weaker than the Sh129.95 quoted on Wednesday, and equal to Tuesday’s Sh129.96. It also leaves the currency 25 cents weaker than on October 1, when it traded at Sh129.71, a monthly loss of less than 0.2 percent. The CBK’s weekly bulletin described the shilling as stable against major international and regional currencies in the week ending October 22, when it averaged Sh129.91.
Against other major currencies, the shilling weakened slightly on the day. The British pound rose to Sh173.04 from Sh172.73 on Wednesday, the euro to Sh144.78 from Sh144.49, and the South African rand to Sh7.81 from Sh7.79. The shilling gained a little ground against the Japanese yen, which eased to Sh82.33 per 100 yen from Sh82.36.
In the region, one Kenyan shilling bought 33.50 Ugandan shillings, down from 33.74 on Wednesday, while it bought 20.39 Tanzanian shillings, up from 20.35, and 11.36 Rwandan francs, up from 11.35.
The shilling has been supported by a comfortable foreign exchange cushion. The CBK reported reserves of $14.693 billion on October 22, equivalent to 5.9 months of import cover, well above the statutory minimum of four months. That is little changed from $14.689 billion a week earlier, but lower than the $15.042 billion recorded on September 24.
The Monetary Policy Committee left the Central Bank Rate unchanged at 8.75 percent earlier this month, saying the stance is appropriate to keep inflation expectations anchored and the exchange rate stable. Inflation stood at 6.8 percent in September, within the CBK’s target range of 2.5 percent to 7.5 percent.
Traders will watch several events in the coming days. The CBK is offering Sh28 billion in Treasury bills at its weekly auction today, and the Treasury’s Sh50 billion bond sale closes on November 4. A rise in global oil prices could also add pressure on the shilling, since higher fuel import costs increase demand for dollars.
