by Timothy Cerullo on Friday, 24 April 2026 – 8:16 am A collage of the IMF logo banner, with a side image of President William Ruto on the side. Photo Kenyans.co.ke Kenya’s bid to secure a new funding programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suffered a setback after the lender said it cannot continue with talks until the government responds to delayed governance and corruption diagnostics reports. The Bretton Woods Institution noted that the draft report had already been shared with President William Ruto’s administration, but the Fund is still awaiting formal comments before it can be presented to its board for approval. Outgoing IMF African Department Director Abebe Aemro Selassie said the process cannot move forward without the Kenyan government’s response on the matter. “The draft report has been shared by our team with authorities, and we are waiting for their comments on that before presenting it to our board and publishing it,” he said. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) offices in Washington, US. Photo IMF This comes just a week after Selassie confirmed ongoing talks with the Kenyan government over a potential new programme aimed at supporting the country’s fiscal stability. In a statement on April 17, 2026, the IMF Director for Africa stated that any future programme agreement would depend on the nation presenting a credible fiscal consolidation path. “Kenya is, of course, a market access country or shifting towards a market access country. And you know, the market access these days has become very, very volatile. And so, the government is continuously thinking about how to best address its financing needs,” said Abebe. Meanwhile, the delay comes as Kenya faces significant debt obligations to the IMF, with treasury projections revealing that Kenya is expected to repay about Ksh47.9 billion to the IMF in 2026, a sharp increase from Ksh17.6 billion paid in 2025. Every month, repayments always vary on an average of about Ksh4 billion, placing additional pressure on the country’s public finances. The setback also coincides with the lender’s regional economic outlook for the 2026/2027 period, in which the IMF projected that Kenya’s economic growth would drop this year. According to the IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa, regional growth, which hit an impressive 4.5 per cent in 2025, is now projected to slow to 4.3 per cent in 2026. The downgrade is largely attributed to spillover effects from disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East , which has affected global supply chains and commodity prices. An aerial view of the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD). Photo Raymond Omollo . Latest News How New National Address System Works Fri, 24 Apr 2026 – 9:17 am Govt Begins Talks for Electric Train in Kenya Fri, 24 Apr 2026 – 9:09 am Setback for Kenya as IMF Suspends Loan Disbursement Fri, 24 Apr 2026 – 8:16 am TSC Announces Vacancies for Top Positions Fri, 24 Apr 2026 – 7:44 am Relief for Kenyans in Proposed Changes to Good Conduct Certificate Processing Fri, 24 Apr 2026 – 7:08 am Documents Contradict CS’s Account on Substandard Fuel Shipment Thu, 23 Apr 2026 – 8:11 pm Ministry Announces Immediate SHA Changes for Civil Servants Thu, 23 Apr 2026 – 7:11 pm Ukraine Intelligence Identifies Kenyans Killed Fighting for Russia Thu, 23 Apr 2026 – 6:55 pm Treasury Receives Ksh 103B From KPC Sale Thu, 23 Apr 2026 – 5:37 pm Dangote to Build Nigeria-Style Oil Refinery in East Africa Thu, 23 Apr 2026 – 5:05 pm CS Ogamba Responds to Circular on Delayed Payments to Teachers Thu, 23 Apr 2026 – 4:24 pm KRA Sends Notice to Businesses Ahead of April 30 Deadline Thu, 23 Apr 2026 – 4:16 pm Load More