Friday, July 18, 2025 - Susan Mang’eni, Principal Secretary in the State Department for MSME Development, has clarified why many Kenyans remain negatively listed on the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) even after settling their debts.
Speaking at a leadership forum, Mang’eni explained that CRB
listings include both positive and negative credit information.
However, financial institutions often only submit negative
data, distorting the full picture of a borrower’s credit history.
“CRB listing is not bad - it’s about information sharing,”
Mang’eni said.
“The problem is that institutions mainly share negative
information, not positive.”
She further revealed that once a borrower is negatively
listed, the record remains for up to seven years - even after full repayment.
“You stay in default status for seven years before the
listing is removed,” she said, noting that this mirrors global credit reporting
standards.
The consequences of negative CRB listings are severe.
Affected individuals are often denied loans, mortgages, or
financing for business and education.
Mang’eni noted that nearly eight million Kenyans have been
blacklisted, largely due to economic shocks from the pandemic, drought and
global instability.
To address this, the Government introduced the Hustler Fund,
offering affordable credit access without penalizing borrowers based solely on
their CRB status.
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