Listed investment company, Centum, is set to benefit from $800 million (KES 103.3 billion) in financial support for its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) from KCB Group, and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
On September 17, 2025, KCB and Afreximbank entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at providing financial and trade facilitation support to investors operating in the Vipingo Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kilifi County.
Under the MOU, KCB Group will provide an initial funding of $300 million, equivalent to KES 38.7 billion, while Afreximbank will provide an initial funding of $500 million, equivalent to KES 64.6 billion. The funding eyes businesses setting up shop at the 2,000-acre Vipingo SEZ in Kilifi, promoted by Centum.
KCB Group is set to fund trade facilitation with a focus on manufacturing, agro-processing, logistics, and value-addition enterprises, while the Pan African multilateral development bank will build core infrastructure.
“This agreement marks a significant step in our mission to catalyze sustainable industrial growth in Kenya and across the region. We are delighted to elevate Vipingo SEZ as a gateway to transforming, creating, and sustaining an environment in which export-oriented industries can thrive, by leveraging economies of scale, shared infrastructure, and access to global markets,” said KCB Group CEO, Paul Russo, during the signing ceremony on September 16, 2025.
According to Afreximbank managing director, Oluranti Doherty, the African multilateral lender’s duty is to promote and expand African trade. Additionally, Oluranti said that SEZs power up industrialization, export growth, and economic diversification.
As a beneficiary of the financing deal, Centum is set to strengthen its growth prospects significantly. Upon completion of the SEZ, Centum is expected to generate new revenue streams from industrial parks, logistics, real estate, and other facilities within the SEZ. The high-profile deal enhances investor confidence, making it stand out as one of the leading investment companies in Kenya. Additionally, the financing also boosts the investment company’s asset base.
Centum 2025 net earnings
In the year ended March 2025, Centum Investment Plc recorded a 68.8% decline in profit after tax to KES 813 million from KES 2.6 billion in the period ended March 2024. The plunge was attributed to lower fair value gains on Centum Real Estate and Special Economic Zone investment properties, following an exceptional prior year company transaction. Additionally, a higher deferred tax charge of KES 1.2 billion, driven by both asset reclassification and a change in the tax rate for land not held for sale (from 5% to 15%), significantly impacted Centum’s consolidated net profit.
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