Kenyan shilling stable, seen well supported

NAIROBI, Kenya: The shilling was little changed against the dollar on Friday and traders said it was likely to remain supported next week due to positive sentiment and tighter liquidity.

At 0705 GMT, commercial banks posted the shilling at 87.30/40, unchanged from Thursday's close.

The shilling has gained 0.6 percent against the dollar this week, boosted by the country's successful $2 billion debut Eurobond issue, offsetting the impact of renewed attacks in Kenya by militants although they limited gains.  

Traders said the shilling was likely to hover at around 87.20 next week.

"We expect the shilling to be supported for the next week," said Nahashon Mungai, a trader at KCB Bank, also citing lower demand for dollars by firms and tighter money market liquidity.

The average overnight interest rate for banks in the interbank market has nearly doubled since June 13 to close to 6 percent as companies raced to meet the deadline for tax payments.