Only about 788,853 bank accounts in Kenya held balances of at least KSh 500,000 as of December 2025, according to the Central Bank of Kenya’s Bank Supervision Annual Report.
That figure crept up from 746,665 accounts recorded the previous year, marking a 5.6 per cent increase.
The numbers sparked fresh conversation online after author and social media influencer Sarah Haluwa weighed in with a playful jab at her followers:
“Are you among the chosen ones?”
What the CBK report actually shows
The headline growth in high-balance accounts tells only part of the story.
At the lower end of the scale, accounts holding below KSh 500,000 fell sharply, dropping from nearly 117 million to just over 83 million over the same period.
A large chunk of that decline came from KCB, whose low-balance accounts tumbled from around 53.6 million to 12.2 million.
The CBK report does not explain the steep drop. It is also worth noting that the CBK data counts accounts, not individuals.
The actual number of Kenyans personally holding KSh 500,000 or more in deposits is therefore lower than the account figures suggest, since one person can hold multiple accounts.
Haluwa’s light-hearted prompt drew a flood of candid responses from Kenyans who were quick to place themselves firmly outside the “chosen” bracket.
Francis Kamau put the figures in blunt perspective:
“In a country with over 50 million people.”
Sydney Keari found some unexpected solidarity in the data, writing:
“I thought I was the only broke person in Nairobi.”
Not everyone interpreted the numbers as a straightforward measure of wealth. Okioma Omari argued that liquid cash in a bank account is not the full picture:
“Those are people with idle cash. Otherwise, people have their money in MMF, shares, bonds, etc.”
Muchugia Nganga took a more nostalgic angle:
“The last time I saw half a million at once in my bank was in 2013.”
Tony Ontita did the maths on behalf of the rest of the country:
“So only 1.33% of Kenyans have over KSh 500,000 sitting in their accounts?”
