Expenses

Understand the Cost of Credit

Total Cost of Credit Overview

Commercial banks in Kenya have adopted the Total Cost of Credit (TCC) pricing mechanism, which enables consumers to compare different bank loan costs based on standardized parameters and a common computation model.

Banks are required by the Central Bank of Kenya to provide you with a Total Cost of Credit breakdown as well as a loan repayment schedule.

Costs Included

There are various costs associated with a loan. These costs are in addition to the interest rate component, and range from bank fees and charges to third party costs, such as legal fees, insurance and government levies.

Understanding APR

Because loan applicants will tend to focus only on the interest rate when making a loan decision, banks have proactively adopted the Annual Percentage Rate or APR model which converts all direct costs associated with the loan (also known as the Total Cost of Credit) into one number.

With the APR, borrowers are empowered to comprehensively compare different loan products on a like-for-like basis, based on the total cost of the facility; and therefore make better informed credit decisions.

Cost of Credit Tools and Information

KESONIA stands for the Kenya Shilling Overnight Interbank Average. It is a transaction-based benchmark rate reflecting the average interest rate at which banks in Kenya lend and borrow unsecured overnight funds in Kenyan Shillings.

Adopting KESONIA supports a broader shift to international best practices on benchmark reference rate frameworks. It lays the foundation for further developments such as term rates, KESONIA-linked financial products, and a domestic derivatives market.

KESONIA will be applicable to all variable rate loans except for foreign currency denominated loans and fixed rate loans. Where KESONIA is not practical, the customers may be availed of the use of Central Bank Rate (CBR) as the alternative reference rate.

The revised Risk-Based Credit Pricing Model (RBCPM) will take effect from September 1, 2025, for all new variable rate loans. As for existing variable rate loans, the revised Risk-Based Credit Pricing Model will take effect from February 28, 2026, at the end of a 6-month transition period for finalisation of the necessary arrangements.

Learn more about KESONIA on the Central Bank Website

This site provides you with information on the TCC and features a simple Cost of Credit calculator, which loan applicants can use to estimate the total cost of a bank loan
This site provides you with information on the TCC and features a simple Cost of Credit calculator, which loan applicants can use to estimate the total cost of a bank loan
This site provides you with information on the TCC and features a simple Cost of Credit calculator, which loan applicants can use to estimate the total cost of a bank loan

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