Trading at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) on Monday 12th January 2026 was characterized by a toned-down activity. The total equity turnover plummeted by 55.6% to KES 396.20 million, down from KES 893.29 million in the prior session.
The day’s market participation was dominated by foreign investors, who accounted for 75.5% of the day’s activity. Despite their dominant share, foreign investors remained net sellers for the session. Foreign buys and sales declined sharply by 80.6% and 69.7% respectively, while net foreign outflows reduced to KES 70.13 million, an improvement from the KES 115.93 million net outflow recorded in the prior session.
The day’s top performers list highlighted exceptional gains, with Sasini and East African Portland Cement leading the market, soaring by 9.1% and 9.0%, respectively. Sasini emerged top gainer on the back of a 23% growth in revenue for the period ended 30th September 2025, and a return to profitability of KES 0.19 billion from a loss of KES 0.56 billion in the fiscal year ended 30th September 2024. Nation Media Group and Uchumi Supermarkets also posted strong gains of 5.0% and 4.3%. On the losers’ side, Crown Paints experienced the largest decline, dropping by 4.3%, followed by Home Afrika (-2.3%), Jubilee Holdings (-2.2%), and Limuru Tea (-2.2%).
Sector performance was mixed, with notable gains in specific counters driving the banking index upward. ABSA Bank Kenya PLC and Standard Chartered Bank Kenya were among the key contributors, each gaining 0.6%. They were supported by Co-operative Bank (+0.2%) and East African Breweries (+0.1%). Conversely, the market faced headwinds from losses in stocks such as Jubilee Holdings (-2%), I&M Bank (-0.7%), Safaricom (-0.2%), and British American Tobacco (-0.1%).
NSE Equities Performance
On the equities front, the market exhibited an uptick, closing the day with modest gains across key indices despite a significant contraction in trading activity. The benchmark Nairobi All-Share Index (NASI) edged upward by 0.1% to settle at 192.00 points. This positive momentum was mirrored in other major indices, with the NSE 20, NSE 25, and Banking Sector indices registering gains of 0.4%, 0.1%, and 0.2%, respectively. Additionally, the overall market capitalization also saw a marginal increase of 0.1% to KES 3,029.94 billion.
In terms of turnover, Safaricom led as the most traded counter with KES 171.69 million in activity, followed by ABSA Bank Kenya PLC at KES 63.83 million.
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