Kenya debt interest payments rise $1.6bn on weak shilling

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Kenya's Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury and Economic Planning Njuguna Ndung'u. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NMG

Interest payments on loans tapped by the state are set to rise by a record Ksh231.6 billion ($1.6 billion), even as a weak shilling forces the Treasury to inflate the size of the budget, adding to spending pressures on the Kenya Kwanza administration.

The interest payments are essentially the cost of borrowing money. The borrower makes these payments in addition to paying back the principal on a loan.