{
  "id": 9293707,
  "title": "Garissa sees 300pc rise in forex bureaus",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/garissa-sees-300pc-rise-in-forex-bureaus",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-23T06:54:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Capital Business",
    "slug": "capital-business",
    "url": "https://capitalfm.africa/garissa-sees-300pc-rise-in-forex-bureaus/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Garissa, Kenya, witnessed a staggering 300% surge in the number of forex bureaus in 2025, climbing to four from just one the previous year, according to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). This rise propelled Garissa's share of Kenya's forex bureaus to 2.1%, up from 0.6% in 2024. Mombasa saw the second-largest percentage point increase, with its bureau count rising by five to 15, marking a 50% boost. Its market share increased to 8% from 6.1%. Nairobi experienced the largest absolute growth, opening 14 new forex bureaus, a 9.7% increase, bringing its total to 157 from 143, which accounts for 83.5% of the national market. The CBK attributed the uptick in Nairobi's forex bureaus to heightened demand for foreign exchange services, driven by transactions by traders, travelers, and individuals needing foreign currency, especially the US dollar.",
  "summary": "The increase raised Garissa’s share of Kenya’s forex bureaus to 2.1 per cent from 0.6 percent in 2024.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}