NAIROBI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's foreign exchange reserves rose by a record 1.55 billion U.S. dollars this week to reach an all-time high of 15.4 billion dollars, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) announced in its weekly financial markets update on Friday evening.

The reserve surge, up from 13.85 billion dollars the previous week, was primarily driven by capital inflows from the government's partial divestiture of Safaricom, the country's leading telecommunications company.

The updated reserves now cover 6.4 months of imports, up from 5.9 months the previous week, according to the central bank.

"This meets CBK's statutory requirement to endeavor to maintain at least four months of import cover," CBK said.

CBK Governor Kamau Thugge projected that reserves would rise even further in the coming weeks as approximately 855 million dollars arrives from South Africa's Nedbank acquiring 66 percent stake in a local Kenyan bank.

Kenya's dollar reserves have remained above 12 billion dollars since January 2026, anchoring the shilling's relative strength against major world currencies. ■