Kenyan shilling holds steady as liquidity stays tight

NAIROBI: The Kenyan shilling held steady against the dollar on Tuesday, with traders expecting tight local currency liquidity to lend support to the shilling.

At 1010 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 90.35/45 to the dollar, a touch weaker than Monday's close at 90.25/45 to the dollar.

Ian Kahangara, a trader at National Bank of Kenya, said that over the past two days some traders have sold dollars to boost their shilling positions due to a small liquidity crunch amid thin trading volumes.

Traders said most businesses and non-governmental organisations that need to exchange foreign currency closed down for the year last week.