Credit-rating firm TransUnion Kenya is encouraging young Kenyans to take charge of their financial futures by regularly reviewing their credit reports through the Nipashe app or by texting their name to 21272.
- •The push is part of a broader national initiative to improve financial literacy and promote responsible borrowing practices among the country’s predominantly youthful population.
- •With over 75% of Kenyans under the age of 35, the campaign emphasizes that building financial health starts with understanding one’s credit profile.
- •The firm is calling for a coordinated effort among fintechs, educators, regulators, and credit providers to deliver accessible, mobile-first education tools and practical financial products tailored to young users.
“Financial health in digital lending means more than just giving people fast access to credit. It’s about offering fair, transparent, and sustainable tools that support long-term financial well-being,” TransUnion Kenya CEO, Morris Maina said.
“When these efforts are aligned, they can support users at every stage of their financial journey.”
The initiative comes as digital finance becomes increasingly central to Kenya’s financial economy. TransUnion is positioning mobile lenders not just as credit providers, but as platforms that can educate users by integrating tools, alerts, and spending insights directly into the lending process.
“Lenders have a responsibility to avoid algorithmic bias and use data to identify financial potential, not punish past mistakes,” Maina added.
TransUnion operates in more than 30 countries, including Kenya. In February, it partnered with analytics software firm – FICO – to enhance its risk assessment framework, enabling lenders to more accurately predict default probabilities and extend financial inclusion to “invisible” borrowers.
The collaboration will integrate FICO’s scoring models with TransUnion’s ‘CreditVision”, which analyses over 145 data sources, to refine the precision of credit risk evaluation in Kenya’s rapidly evolving lending landscape.