The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) experienced a significant contraction in overall trading activity on Wednesday, 28th January 2026. Equity turnover went down sharply by 42.9% to KES 590.31 million from KES 1.03 billion recorded previously.
Leading the gainers was Sanlam Kenya, which surged by 7.3% to close at KES 8.78, followed by NCBA Group with a solid 5.3% gain to KES 94.75. ABSA New Gold ETF, CIC Group, and Standard Group also posted notable gains of 4.7%, 4.6%, and 4.4%, respectively. Conversely, the losers’ table was led by Britam Holdings, which declined by 5.3% to KES 9.02, and Crown Paints, which fell by 5.2% to KES 54.50. Nairobi Business Ventures, Kakuzi Plc, and BK Group Plc rounded out the top decliners with losses ranging from 2.1% to 3.4%.
NSE Indices Performance
Key indices posted modest gains in the day’s session. The Nairobi All-Share Index (NASI) rose by 0.4% to close at 195.71, supported by an expansion of 0.4% in market capitalization to KES 3.09 trillion. This upward momentum was mirrored across the major sectoral indices, with the NSE-25 leading gains at 0.6%. This was followed by the Banking Sector Index, which also advanced by 0.56% to 217.34 points.
In the fixed income market, the trading activity slowed down considerably. The NSE secondary bond market turnover declined by 41.0% to KES 10.53 billion, down from KES 17.85 billion traded previously. The FXDI/2020/15Yr bond emerged as the highest-grossing instrument by value for the day, whereas the IFBI/2018/15Yr was the most frequently traded.
The derivatives market presented a contrasting picture in terms of volume and value. The total number of contracts traded surged to 1,612 from 300 in the prior session; however, the total value of these contracts decreased to approximately KES 8.82 million from KES 2.74 million. Meanwhile, the market sentiment as reflected by open interest rose to 8,102 contracts from 7,810.
Also Read: NSE Market Report: Bourse on Upward Trajectory, Kenya Airways Gains 9.6%
