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Loan app check · Kenya

Is this loan app licensed?

Search every digital lender the Central Bank of Kenya has licensed, from its own directory of 29 September 2026. Unlicensed apps are where most abuse happens: shaming contacts, hidden fees, impossible terms. Check before you borrow.

281 licensed lenders. Type at least two letters.

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Scorecard · from borrowers

What borrowers say each licensed lender costs

Cost per KES 1,000 borrowed for 30 days, every fee included, from borrowers’ own reports over 12 months. Shown once five borrowers have reported a lender.

Collecting from today: add a loan you have taken below. The first lender appears once five borrowers have reported it.

Anonymous: no name, no number, and your address is never stored. We publish only the middle of at least five reports per lender.

For comparison, a bank or SACCO loan at 15% a year costs about KES 12 per KES 1,000 for 30 days. Figures are what borrowers report, checked only for range and not verified with the lender; they describe borrowers’ experience, not a finding by Afronomics or the CBK. A named lender can ask us to look again at any figure, or send a response to publish beside it, at desk@afronomicsfeed.com.

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Most recently licensed

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No longer on the list

Lenders that were in an earlier directory we read and are missing from the latest. A name can drop off because a licence lapsed or was revoked, a change of name, or a directory error; check with the CBK before drawing conclusions.

None yet: we compare each new directory with the one before.

Before you borrow

Licensed is not the same as cheap

A licence means the CBK supervises the lender, not that its loan is good value. Compare what a one-month loan really costs on mobile loan costs, and against a SACCO or bank on Kenya rates compared.

Source: Central Bank of Kenya, Directory of Digital Credit Providers, updated 29 September 2026; read 12 October 2026. Contact details as the CBK publishes them. Information, not advice.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

How do I know if a loan app is licensed in Kenya?
Find the company behind the app (in its terms or the app store's developer details) and look for it on the Central Bank of Kenya's directory of digital credit providers. The directory of 29 September 2026 lists 281 licensed lenders; search them on this page. A digital lender not on the list is not licensed by the CBK.
Is it legal to lend through an app without a CBK licence?
Since the Central Bank of Kenya (Amendment) Act 2021, a non-deposit-taking business lending digitally needs a CBK licence as a digital credit provider. Banks, microfinance banks and SACCOs are licensed separately and are not in this directory.