Shareholders of Equity Group Holdings have given the green light to a record dividend payout of Sh21.70 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2025, translating to Sh5.75 for every share held. The vote marks a new high in the company’s history of rewarding its investors and signals growing confidence in the lender’s long-term prospects.
The latest payout dwarfs the Sh16.04 billion distributed in the previous financial year, underlining the group’s strengthening financial position. Funds will be disbursed to shareholders who were on the register as of May 22, 2026, with payments expected to reach investors on or around June 30, 2026.
The Annual General Meeting also settled matters of board composition. Shareholders backed the reelection of four directors — Prof Isaac Macharia, Jonas Mushosho, Evanson Baiya, and Farida Khambata — to continue serving on the board. The meeting additionally approved the appointment of Dr Eliane Ubalijoro as an incoming director, though her formal entry onto the board remains subject to regulatory clearance.
Among the most consequential decisions of the AGM was approval for Equity to deepen its footprint in the insurance sector. Through its subsidiary Equity Group Insurance Holdings Limited, the group will establish a microinsurance operation in Kenya and set up both life and general insurance companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The move signals the group’s ambition to evolve into a broader financial services powerhouse across East and Central Africa.
On the audit front, shareholders backed the reappointment of Ernst & Young to continue as the group’s external auditors for the coming financial year, maintaining continuity in the group’s financial oversight.
Group Chairman Prof Isaac Macharia told shareholders that the resolutions passed at the meeting reflected “strong shareholder confidence in Equity’s strategy and oversight,” adding that the group remains committed to sound governance and delivering sustainable long-term value. Managing Director James Mwangi weighed in on the insurance push, saying the expansion would “strengthen our ability to offer more holistic financial services” to customers across the markets where the group operates.
For the millions of Kenyans who bank with Equity — one of the country’s largest lenders by customer base — the record dividend signals a financially robust institution that continues to grow. As the group extends its insurance ambitions into Kenya and the DRC, attention will now turn to how this expanded product offering reshapes the competitive landscape of financial services across the region.
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