Choosing a credit reference bureau in Kenya
Kenyan banks and licensed lenders report the same credit data to all three licensed bureaus: TransUnion, Metropol and Creditinfo. The bureaus calculate scores independently, which means the same reported data can lead to different scores across them. The rules require an appraisal and written reasons when you decline an application, and a score alone cannot determine that outcome; a score-only decline carries a two million shilling penalty. For you, the bureau choice is also a choice about which score enters the appraisal and how the decision is supported.
Three licensed CRBs receive lender data
Kenya has three licensed credit reference bureaus (CRBs): TransUnion, Metropol and Creditinfo. Banks and licensed lenders submit the same data to all three.
| Bureau | Company | Licensed |
|---|---|---|
| TransUnion | Credit Reference Bureau Africa Ltd | 9 Feb 2010 |
| Metropol | Metropol CRB Ltd | 6 Apr 2011 |
| Creditinfo | Creditinfo CRB Kenya Ltd | 29 Apr 2015 |
The Banking (Credit Reference Bureau) Regulations 2020 set the rules for what is shared, with whom and for how long. They apply under the Court of Appeal’s order of February 2024. For a view beyond Kenya, compare its setup with the wider credit bureau landscape across Africa.
Each bureau calculates its own score
Although lenders submit the same data to all three CRBs, each bureau calculates its own score. The bureau you call therefore affects which score and available information enter your appraisal.
The score must be one factor in the decision and in pricing. Your appraisal must be in writing and given to the customer with the decision. If you decline, give the reasons immediately and in writing. A decline based solely on the bureau score carries a penalty of two million shillings.
A score cut-off may look like a consistent way to screen applications. It cannot do the work of the appraisal. The customer must be able to read the reasoning behind the decision.
Compare bureaus on the decisions they change
Choose which bureau to call by looking at what its information changes in your own applicant book. The shared reporting system gives you a common basis for comparison, while scores and third-party data may differ between bureaus.
For applicants where you can obtain two bureau results, record each file result and score, then apply your appraisal to both. Track which decisions change, including good applicants who might be declined and bad loans the changed decision might avoid. Compare those outcomes with the cost of the additional order. Because the bureaus share the file but may differ in score and third-party data, the best data for one applicant may sit with a different bureau than for the next, and an engine you own can call that bureau.
Use a second call when the first bureau has no file or its score leaves the appraisal open. For larger exposures, set a materiality threshold in your credit policy before launch: specify the exposure at which you will compare another bureau result, then assess whether that result changes the decision. The data source waterfall tool lays out the cost and outcome questions for selective calls.
Carry the reporting and customer duties through the account
An adverse action notice is required when bureau information played a role in an adverse decision. It names the bureau and tells the customer about the right to a free copy of the information and the right to dispute it.
| Step | The duty | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Consent | On any signed document, or orally or electronically. Written consent for third-party providers | Reg 22, 24(6) |
| The decision | The score is one factor, never the only reason. Appraisal in writing | Reg 40 |
| A decline | Written reasons immediately. Adverse action notice naming the bureau | Reg 40(4), 63(2) |
| Before listing | Notice 30 days ahead (a month before non-performing). Nothing at KES 1,000 or less | Reg 26(1), 63(1)(a), 18(2) |
| After listing | Tell the customer within 30 days that all bureaus have the data | Reg 63(1)(b) |
| A dispute | Hold the item, tell the bureaus within 5 days, investigate within 14 (21 on a bureau notice) | Reg 26, 35 |
| Retention | 5 years after settlement of a non-performing loan | Reg 34 |
Before submitting negative information, check the loan type, repayment interval and contract terms to identify the notice period that applies. The rules generally require at least thirty days’ notice, with specified shorter periods for some cases, including digital credit provider contracts. Do not submit a negative listing for an amount of one thousand shillings or less.
Make the bureau call a decision your policy controls
Keep the bureau calls within a decision engine you control, so your policy decides when to use another source. Treat a bureau response that says there is no file as a distinct result. Treat a failed call as a separate condition, then define the branch your policy will take rather than using an absent response as a score.
Decisimo can request data from a REST API or SOAP web service, and a failed call can return an error that the rest of the decision flow handles, such as routing to a fallback branch. Decisimo runs a lender’s decision flow and returns an outcome with a reason.
Set the no-file, failed-call and second-call rules around your appraisal. Then compare the cost of the extra order with the decisions it changes.
Set the operating rule for your Kenyan book
- Get consent in a permitted form where required.
- Obtain the customer’s prior written consent when data comes from a third-party credit information provider.
- Submit your data to all three bureaus.
- Notify the customer within thirty days of the first listing that their information has been submitted to all licensed bureaus.
- Use a bureau score as one factor in the decision and in pricing, and give the customer the written appraisal with the decision.
- For a decline, give the reasons immediately and in writing.
- When bureau information played a role, provide an adverse action notice at the time of the decision.
- Name the bureau, give its contact details, and explain the customer’s rights to a free copy and to dispute the information.
- Before submitting negative information, check the loan type, repayment interval and contract terms against the applicable notice rules.
- For digital credit provider contracts, check whether a shorter period applies.
- Do not submit negative listings for amounts of one thousand shillings or less.
- When a customer disputes information, hold it from submission and notify every bureau within five days.
- Investigate a dispute within fourteen days, or within twenty-one days if a bureau sends a dispute notice.
- Keep bureau calls in a decision engine you control, with separate branches for no file and failed calls and a defined meaning for each in the appraisal.
- Call a second bureau when the first has no file, its score leaves the appraisal open, or a material exposure meets your policy threshold.
- Compare the additional order cost with the decisions it changes on your applicants.
Questions about credit reference bureaus in Kenya
How many credit reference bureaus are there in Kenya?
There are three licensed CRBs: TransUnion, Metropol and Creditinfo. Submit your data to all three.
Do I need to sign with all three CRBs?
Data you submit reaches all three licensed bureaus through CIS ValiData, in place since August 2025. Which bureau you call for a report is your choice.
Why call more than one CRB if they hold the same data?
Each bureau calculates its own score, and third-party data may differ. Compare another result when the first bureau has no file, its score leaves the appraisal open, or the exposure meets your materiality threshold, then record the decisions changed and the extra order cost.
Can I decline an applicant because of their CRB score?
No, not on the score alone. It must be one factor in the decision, and the appraisal must be in writing. Give the customer the written appraisal with the decision.
What must I tell an applicant I decline?
Give the reasons immediately and in writing. If bureau information played a role, provide an adverse action notice at the time of the decision. Name the bureau, give its contact details, and explain the customer’s rights to a free copy and to dispute the information.
How much notice do I give before listing a borrower?
The general period is at least thirty days before submitting negative information, but the applicable period depends on the loan, repayment interval and contract. Check the shorter periods allowed for specified cases, including digital credit provider contracts, before submitting the information.
How long does a default stay with the bureaus?
Information on a non-performing loan stays for five years after final settlement, or seven years from discharge from bankruptcy. Other information stays for at most five years from submission.
