How Is a Credit Score Calculated in Kenya? Full Breakdown
Updated April 2026 • 7 min read
Your credit score in Kenya is a 3-digit number (typically 200–900) generated by a credit bureau (TransUnion, Metropol, or CreditInfo) using a statistical model. Understanding how it is calculated helps you make decisions that build your score faster.
The Five Factors That Determine Your Credit Score
All three Kenyan credit bureaus use similar scoring models based on five weighted factors:
| Factor | Approximate Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Payment History | ~35% | Whether you pay loans on time, every time |
| Amounts Owed | ~30% | Total outstanding balances relative to credit limits |
| Credit History Length | ~15% | How long you have had active credit facilities |
| New Credit | ~10% | Recent loan applications and new accounts opened |
| Credit Mix | ~10% | Variety of credit types (mobile, bank, SACCO, etc.) |
Factor 1: Payment History (~35%)
This is the most important factor. It captures whether you have consistently paid your loan instalments on time. Each late payment or default is recorded and has a negative impact. Conversely, a long track record of on-time payments is the fastest path to a high credit score.
What counts:
- Timely repayment of bank loans, mobile loans (Fuliza, Mshwari, Branch, Tala), SACCOs, and hire purchase
- Payment of utility bills submitted to CRBs by some providers
- Negative listings from defaults, court judgements, or unpaid overdrafts
Factor 2: Amounts Owed (~30%)
This factor looks at how much you owe across all your credit facilities relative to the total credit available to you. This is sometimes called your credit utilisation ratio. The higher your outstanding balances relative to limits, the lower your score. Aim to keep outstanding balances below 30–40% of your credit limits.
Factor 3: Credit History Length (~15%)
The longer your history with credit, the more data the bureaus have to assess your behaviour. This factor considers:
- How long your oldest credit account has been open
- The average age of all your accounts
- How recently you used each account
This is why people with no credit history (a "thin file") have lower scores — there is simply not enough data to give them a high score.
Factor 4: New Credit (~10%)
Every time you apply for a loan, the lender requests your credit report. This creates a hard enquiry on your file. Multiple hard enquiries in a short period suggest you are desperately seeking credit, which is a risk signal. This factor tracks:
- Number of hard enquiries in the past 12 months
- Number of new accounts opened recently
Factor 5: Credit Mix (~10%)
Having a variety of credit types that you manage responsibly shows financial capability. A person who has successfully managed a bank loan, a mobile loan, and a SACCO loan will typically score slightly higher than someone who has only had one type of credit facility.
How the Score Is Generated
The bureau collects all data submitted by member lenders (banks, mobile money providers, SACCOs, microfinance institutions). The scoring algorithm weights all five factors together and produces a single score. Different bureaus may give you slightly different scores because:
- Not all lenders submit data to all three bureaus
- Each bureau uses its own proprietary algorithm
- Data submission timing can differ between bureaus
What Does Not Count
The following do NOT factor into your credit score by law:
- Race, gender, religion, or nationality
- Your salary or employment status (income is not in the credit bureau database)
- Savings account balances
- Age (unless used as part of a credit history length calculation)
Credit Score Bands in Kenya
| Score Range | Band | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 750 – 900 | Excellent | Best loan terms, lowest rates available |
| 650 – 749 | Good | Approved for most loans at competitive rates |
| 550 – 649 | Fair | May face higher rates or stricter conditions |
| 450 – 549 | Poor | Loan requests likely declined or heavily conditioned |
| 200 – 449 | Very Poor | Active negative listings; most loans denied |