The UK’s development finance agency, British International Investment (BII), has unveiled its five-year plan for Kenya, aiming to commit around $6.7 billion in its own funds while encouraging up to $5.3 billion in private sector contributions across Africa.
This initiative succeeds a prior pledge of $1.2 billion for East Africa over the last five years. In Kenya specifically, BII will concentrate on funding enterprises and infrastructure projects while working to draw in institutional investors, bolster financial markets, and eliminate obstacles preventing private capital flows.
Focus on Capital Mobilization
The strategy prioritizes leveraging external funding alongside BII’s direct investments, forging alliances with domestic financial institutions and investment bodies. During the rollout, CEO Leslie Maasdorp hosted a Nairobi roundtable addressing how to tap into Kenya’s institutional savings for infrastructure and business development.
Participants discussed various financing models, including local-currency loans, blended finance structures, risk-sharing mechanisms, and capital market tools. As of June 2026, Kenya’s pension funds totaled KSh3.167 trillion, per the Retirement Benefits Authority. Yet only 0.02% of these assets supported infrastructure debt, while 0.62% went into real estate investment trusts. BII identifies this underutilized capital as a key opportunity for sustainable economic growth.
“Our new strategy is about doing more than investing BII’s own capital. We want to use our capital, experience and partnerships to unlock investment from others and help build markets that can attract capital at greater scale,” Maasdorp stated. “Kenya has a significant pool of domestic capital, and we are calling on local capital providers to partner with us to find practical ways to channel more of it into productive businesses and infrastructure.”
BII also plans to position Kenya as a regional investment center, adapting its Kenyan-developed financing models for neighboring markets like Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. The African Development Bank forecasts East Africa’s economy will expand by roughly 6% in both 2026 and 2027—a backdrop that supports investments in infrastructure, financial services, and private sector expansion.
Accompanying the strategy launch, BII will host its fourth Innovation for Impact Summit, gathering venture capitalists, fund managers, and entrepreneurs from Africa and South Asia. Topics will include cross-border venture funding, artificial intelligence applications, climate-focused innovations, and new methods for private capital mobilization.
UK Minister for International Development and Africa Kirsty McNeill emphasized the strategy’s role in deepening Kenya’s partnership with the UK, centered on private investment and financial sector strengthening. Seema Dhanani leads BII’s East Africa operations and serves as the Kenya country head.
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