Kenya has roughly $13.1 billion in public debt repayments due before June 2027, and the clock is ticking. That figure is shaping nearly every conversation happening right now around government spending, public services, and economic planning in the country.
The pressure on Kenya's finances is real, and it is arriving at the same moment that the conditions attached to IMF lending are drawing sharper scrutiny. Critics and analysts are asking harder questions about what those conditions actually require of ordinary Kenyans, and whether the trade-offs are working in the country's favour.
This is a story worth watching closely. How Kenya manages this repayment window will say a lot about the future of IMF partnerships across the continent.
Originally published by BusinessDay.