Ruto: NSE recognised as among best-performing emerging markets globally
By Mabonga Makhanu, November 20, 2025President William Ruto has announced that the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is among the top leading share markets globally.
While speaking during the state of the nation address in parliament on Wednesday, November 20, 2025, he hailed the growth of the Kenyan share market, describing it as a key driver of the country’s overall economic progress.
According to President Ruto, the NSE has recorded a powerful resurgence and is now recognised as one of the best-performing emerging markets worldwide.
Since January 2025, investor wealth on the exchange has grown by over one trillion shillings, driven by a broad rally in share prices that has re-established the NSE as a premier asset class.
President Ruto further highlighted that the NSE is on track for its strongest performance in over a decade, building on the remarkable gains of the previous year.
He emphasised that this renewed vibrancy is a clear vote of confidence in Kenya’s economic direction and the reforms the government has undertaken.
“The Nairobi Securities Exchange has recorded a powerful resurgence and is now recognised as one of the best-performing emerging markets globally. Since January 2025, investor wealth has grown by over 1 trillion shillings, driven by a broad share price rally that has re-established the Nairobi Securities Exchange as a premier asset class,” Ruto said.
This comes days after NSE introduced single-share trading, allowing investors to trade as low as one share.
This marks a significant shift from the traditional 100-share minimum, making the market more accessible to a wider range of investors.
Kenya’s economy
During his address, he also noted that Kenya has risen to become the sixth-largest economy on the African continent.
Ruto praised his government’s efforts in moving the country from the eighth to the sixth position, as ranked by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to Ruto, two years ago Kenya was ranked the eighth-largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of Ksh14.8 trillion. He noted that the country’s GDP has now grown to Ksh17.54 trillion, elevating Kenya to the sixth-largest economy on the continent.
“Two years ago, Kenya was ranked the eighth-largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of 115 billion US dollars. Today, the country’s GDP has increased to 136 billion US dollars, positioning Kenya as the sixth-largest economy on the continent, according to the IMF,” Ruto said.