Top 13 Loan Apps in Kenya in 2022

Are you looking for a loan in Kenya? Well, read through this list of loan apps in Kenya in 2022.

We live in exciting times where you can get everything from the palms of your hands, including obtaining credit.

This article will review the popular loan apps in Kenya available today. If an app is missing, kindly suggest the comments below or send me details, and I will review it.

Technology has made it possible to do things that seemed unthinkable about five years ago. We all know how bureaucratic getting a loan from a bank was back then. But now, with the innovation of loan apps in Kenya, your loan is just a phone away.

Best Loan Apps in Kenya?

1. Timiza by Absa
2. HF Whizz
3. Branch
4. Tala
5. Haraka
6. Utunzi
7. Saida
8. Jazika
9. Zenka
10. Okash

Financial Institutions support the first two digital lending apps (Absa Bank and Housing Finance). The rest are unregulated by the Central Bank of Kenya.

Let’s dive into the details of each mobile loan app:

1. Branch Loan App

The first loan app in Kenya to review is Branch. It is a popular app introduced to Kenyans in 2015 by Branch International. The Branch loan app is not only available in Kenya but can be found in Tanzania and Nigeria.

The mobile loan app gives its users loans up to KES 50,000.

To get started on Branch App, you download the App from Google Play, use Facebook to signup, and log in, and automatically you will know if you qualify for a loan or not. If you are approved for a loan, you will receive it through M-Pesa.

2. Tala Loan App

The Tala loan app was initially known as Mkopo Rahisi and rebranded to Tala. They offer loans up to 30,000, and the loan is disbursed through M-Pesa. They pride themselves on giving loans in less than 5 minutes, and you will build your credit up to the maximum amount by repaying your loans in time.

Tala App has more than 1 Million downloads on the Google store and is considered one of Kenya’s most popular money lending apps.

To get a loan from Tala, all you have to do is download the app on your Smartphone and create an account. If you are not listed on CRB, you will get your first loan to choose the payment terms.

3. Timiza Loan App

Timiza is an App by Barclays bank, one of the local banks in Kenya. As mentioned earlier, the loan app craze in Kenya has forced mainstream financial players to innovate.

Unlike other apps from banks, the best thing about Timiza is that the app is not limited to the bank’s customers alone but instead available to all Kenyans.

You download the app, register, and check if you qualify for a loan.

The Timiza App is not only a money lending app but one of a kind app where you can do more. You can top up any amount and use the money to hail a Taxi.

4. Stawika Loan App

Stawika is a rising money lending app in Kenya by Stawika Capital. Once installed on your Smartphone, the app will evaluate your data on the phone, such as M-Pesa usage and other factors, to qualify you for a loan.

I have not personally used the app but will try and update this post or create a new article specifically for Stawika Capital.

The registration process is simple; you download Stawika loan App from Google. Use your phone number to register and provide a unique four-digit pin.

5. Haraka

Haraka means fast in Swahili. So anyone within Kenya will know that the app offers quick/fast loans. Haraka Loan is a product of Getbucks,  a South African registered lender.

Haraka Loan App is available in other 4 African countries, i.e., Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

Their loan range is between 500 and 5000, and the loans attract an interest rate of 23.45%.

6. Utunzi Loan App

I had to skip this one after reading the negative reviews on the Google Play store.

7. Saida

Saida is another Loan App that is helping Kenyans secure an instant mobile loan direct to their phones. You can download Saida to your mobile app, and they offer loans of up to 25,000.

Their interest rates can go as low as 7.5%, and you have up to 3 months to repay your loan.

I have not used the app but will create a post on Saida in a few coming weeks.

Update:

You can now learn more about the Saida loan app by following the link.

8. Jazika Loans

This is another mobile loan App from Jazika Ventures. With Jazika, you can qualify for 100,000 Kenyan shillings, and the application process is simple.

The money goes directly to your M-Pesa, and repaying the loan is also through M-Pesa.

9. KCB M-Pesa

I believe Safaricom set the ball rolling for mobile loan Apps, and KCB, in partnership with M-Pesa, came up with a solution. The KCB M-Pesa solution is tied to your Safaricom sim card and the Safaricom App.

In my opinion, they have the cheapest interest rates in the market.

10. Mshwari

I could not finish this list without mentioning a Safaricom product. All the other Apps work best with M-Pesa. So just like KCB, M-Pesa Safaricom, in partnership with CBA Bank, have a solution for mobile loans dubbed Mshwari.

It operates on the principle of saving for accessing a loan. Your loan limit can be increased depending on how you keep on Mshwari and how you repay your past loans.

11. HF Whizz App

HF Whizz is more than a loan app; it offers so much more where you can do most of your digital transactions on the app. These include: Paying for goods directly from your HF account, money transfer, Saving on the App, Buying airtime, and, most importantly, applying for a loan on the app.

12. Okash Loan App

The Opera software develops the app to tap into the growing money lending business.

History of Loan apps in Kenya

Loan Apps in Kenya became popular in the last three years with the launch of the Branch loan App. We have had so many players come into the industry ever since. Others have died off while others have grown so big, and their clients have increased in numbers.

Kenya is known for mobile money and is the hotbed for money lending Apps, with M-Pesa being the ideal option to receive loans from these Loan Apps in Kenya.

Now banks who have been traditional loan lenders are joining in by releasing their mobile loan app versions.