The Nairobi Securities Exchange closed out the trading week on Friday, August 14, 2026, with the market staying shut over the weekend into today, Sunday, August 16. Trading reopens tomorrow, Monday, August 17.
Friday’s closing session saw 20.1 million shares change hands across 12,879 deals, generating an equity turnover of KES 0.96 billion. That was lighter activity than Thursday’s session, with volume and turnover both down sharply on the day before. Market capitalization closed the week at KES 4.03 trillion.
Market Indices at Friday’s Close
The NSE All-Share Index (NASI) closed the week at 238.13 points, while the NSE 20 Share Index ended at 4,136.12 points.
The NSE 25 Share Index closed at 6,637.29 points, and the NSE 10 Share Index settled at 2,587.63 points. These are Friday’s closing levels rather than a weekly average.
Friday’s Top Gainers
Standard Group (SGL) led Friday’s gainers with an 8.56 percent increase, closing at KES 6.34. Car & General Kenya (CGEN) followed closely, rising 8.15 percent to close at KES 262.00.
Express Kenya (XPRS) posted a 6.45 percent gain to close at KES 7.26. Unga Group (UNGA) climbed 5.59 percent to KES 34.00, while Home Afrika (HAFR) advanced 3.67 percent to close at KES 1.13.
Friday’s Top Losers
Sameer Africa (SMER) recorded the steepest drop, shedding 6.65 percent to close at KES 18.25. British American Tobacco Kenya (BAT) was not far behind, declining 6.60 percent to close at KES 524.00.
Longhorn Publishers (LKL) lost 6.42 percent of its value, while Sanlam Allianz Holdings (SLAM) fell 5.01 percent.
Friday’s Top Movers by Volume
Banking stocks dominated liquidity on Friday. Absa Bank Kenya recorded the highest trading volume at 3,402,429 shares.
Co-operative Bank followed with 2,917,368 shares traded, and KCB Group rounded out the top three with 2,731,969 shares changing hands.
Corporate Actions and Market News
KCB Group declared an interim dividend of KES 3.00 per share this week, a 50 percent jump from the KES 2.00 paid during the same period last year. The increase followed a 20.8 percent rise in half-year profit before tax to KES 49.3 billion, with the board citing strong income growth and disciplined cost management behind the improved payout.
Car & General also declared a dividend, announcing an interim payout of KES 1.00 per share for its shareholders.
In a bigger development for Kenya’s capital markets, the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) approved the WSA Banking Index ETF this week, Kenya’s first locally domiciled exchange-traded fund. It will become the NSE’s third ETF overall, joining two existing foreign-domiciled funds, but the first one structured and based in Kenya itself.
The fund, issued by Wallstreet Africa Group in partnership with Tradiam Asset Managers, will track a basket of 11 listed Kenyan banks and is expected to list on the NSE in the fourth quarter of 2026. It gives investors a single instrument to gain exposure to the banking sector, which has been one of the strongest performing segments on the exchange this year.
Related:NSE Weekly Market Insights: Top Gainers and Losers (July 27–31, 2026)
Looking Ahead
The market reopens for a new trading week tomorrow morning, Monday, August 17, 2026. With banking stocks driving most of Friday’s volume and a new ETF product on the horizon, the sector will likely remain the one to watch in the days ahead.
Final Thoughts
Friday’s session showed a market that stayed steady on price even with lighter volumes than the day before. Banking counters continued to lead both in liquidity and in corporate news, from KCB’s higher dividend payout to the approval of Kenya’s first local banking ETF.
For investors tracking the NSE, this week’s mix of steady index levels and strong banking sector activity points to continued interest in Kenya’s financial stocks heading into the new trading week.