Kenya loses Sh22bn in US diaspora cash on Trump tax

Remittances from Kenyans living in the US dropped by 12.6% to $1.178 billion in the first half of 2026, resulting in a loss of Sh22 billion. This decline, the sharpest since remittance data by country began being published, is attributed to Donald Trump's tax policies and economic shocks from the Iran conflict. The US share of total remittances to Kenya fell to 48.24%, the lowest level since 2019.