Nairobi Securities Exchange PLC on March 9, 2026 had a downward trend during the trading session, which saw a 0.6% decline in the Nairobi All Share Index (NASI), closing at 207.07. This local retreat mirrored a synchronized sell-off in global markets, where major indices like Japan’s Nikkei 225 plummeted by 5.2% and the S&P 500 fell by 1.3% amid institutional de-risking.
NSE day’s performance
The market was weighed down by losses in several large-cap stocks. Notable decliners included Safaricom PLC -1.6%, Equity Group -0.7%, KCB Group -0.6%, and East African Breweries Limited (-0.3%). The NSE-10 Index and NSE-25 Index followed this trajectory, dropping by 0.7% and 0.5% respectively.
Despite the overall bearish mood, the NSE-20 Share Index managed a slight gain of 0.2%, closing at 3,612.26. The session also featured standout performances from specific counters. Kenya Airways led the pack of top gainers with a significant 10.0% price appreciation. Other top performers included Eveready PLC 8.8%, Eaagads PLC 8.8%, and Home Afrika 8.2%.
On the losing side, Africa Mega Agricorp led the day’s decliners with a sharp 6.5% drop, followed by Express Kenya which fell 4.2% followed with BK Group shedding 4.1%, and Unga Group rounded out the top losers with a 3.06% decline. Meanwhile, trading activity cooled, with total equity turnover settling at KES 1,055.43 million a 23.7% dip from the previous session’s KES 1,383.83 million.
Safaricom remained the investor favorite by volume, with over 8.4 million shares changing hands. It was followed closely by Kenya Re-Insurance Corporation at 4.2 million shares, while Eveready East Africa and Equity Group Holdings also saw strong activity, moving 3.5 million and 3.2 million shares respectively.
Foreign investors continued their trend as net sellers, contributing to net outflows of KES 205.29 million. While foreign buys saw a sharp 123.5% increase to reach KES 254.03 million, they were outweighed by sales totaling KES 459.32 million. KCB Group was the top target for foreign buys of KES 167.49 million, whereas Safaricom saw the highest foreign sells at KES 213.46 million.
In contrast to the equities segment, the secondary bond market saw a massive surge in activity. Turnover increased by 99.4%, rising to KES 11.31 billion from KES 5.67 billion in the previous session. The FXD2/2019/15Yr emerged as the highest-grossing bond, while the IFB1/2021/16Yr was the most frequently traded.
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