Co-operative Financial institution of Kenya CEO Gideon Muriuki has purchased an extra 5.5 million shares within the lender, lifting his holding to a document 2.3% because the inventory trades close to a one yr peak.
Filings cited by Business Daily present Muriuki held 135 million Co-op Financial institution shares as of December 2025, up from 129.5 million shares in Could 2025 when his stake stood at 2.21%. The purchases, valued at about 148.2 million shillings at present market costs, had been remodeled the seven months to December.
Muriuki, considered one of Kenya’s longest serving high bankers, had maintained roughly a 2% curiosity within the financial institution for years earlier than stepping up shopping for early in 2025. The bigger place retains him the largest particular person investor within the Nairobi Securities Trade listed lender, forward of different shareholders.
Businessman Baloobhai Patel has additionally gathered Co-op Financial institution shares over a number of years, however stopped after reaching 100 million shares, equal to a 1.7% stake, the regulatory disclosures present. That leaves him second amongst particular person traders, behind the chief govt.
Buyers typically learn govt shopping for as a sign of confidence, since insiders have a detailed view of technique, dangers and aggressive pressures. Nonetheless, such purchases don’t assure future efficiency, and share costs can flip rapidly with modifications in rates of interest, credit score high quality or regulation.
Co-op Financial institution shares hit a brand new 52 week excessive of 27.95 shillings on Friday and ended the session at a mean 26.95, market information confirmed. The inventory is up 71.65% over the previous 12 months, one of many stronger runs amongst Nairobi listings.
The rally has been accompanied by a shift in dividends. The lender final month declared its first interim dividend of 1 shilling a share, signaling a much bigger payout for the yr ended December 2025. Co-op Financial institution beforehand paid a single annual dividend of 1.5 shillings. If the financial institution retains the ultimate dividend at 1.5 shillings, complete money returns would rise to 2.5 shillings per share, a 66.6% improve from the prior yr’s payout.
Behind the market momentum is earnings progress. Co-op Financial institution posted a 12.3% rise in web revenue to 21.56 billion shillings within the 9 months to September, pushed by increased curiosity earnings. Web curiosity earnings grew 22.8% to 45.27 billion shillings from 36.87 billion a yr earlier because the financial institution expanded lending.
The group has leaned right into a Kenya first enlargement technique, maintaining a restricted footprint overseas whereas including branches in focused areas and pushing extra prospects onto digital channels. It serves the native market by the Co-op Financial institution model and Kingdom Financial institution, previously Jamii Bora Financial institution, which it acquired in 2020 in a Central Financial institution of Kenya supervised rescue deal. Analysts say the financial institution’s native focus has helped preserve prices in verify and margins.
Outdoors Kenya, the group’s solely overseas operation is Co-operative Financial institution of South Sudan. Co-op Financial institution owns 51% of the subsidiary, whereas the federal government of South Sudan holds the remaining 49% in belief for the co-operative motion there.
