TransUnion’s Q2 2026 Consumer Pulse Study shows that only 30 per cent of Kenyan adults reported an increase in income over the previous three months, meaning 70 per cent saw no income growth, and 77 per cent said they had been targeted by digital fraud attempts.

The share of respondents reporting higher earnings fell from 42 per cent a year earlier, with the slowdown mainly attributed to reduced salaries (27 per cent), job losses (24 per cent) and business closures or falling orders (23 per cent).

Despite the pressure, 78 per cent expect their income to rise in the next twelve months, a five-point drop from the previous year, and the decline in optimism was most pronounced among Generation Z consumers.

The proportion of Kenyans able to pay all bills and loans in full remained at 61 per cent, while more than half of Generation Z respondents – 54 per cent – said they could not meet all of their financial obligations, a rise of seven percentage points YoY.

Among those unable to settle at least one bill or loan, half plan to make partial payments and another half intend to take up gig work, and 28 per cent expect to rely on savings or borrow from friends and family.

More than half of consumers (53 per cent) plan to cut discretionary spending such as dining out, travel and entertainment, 48 per cent aim to reduce major purchases like appliances and vehicles, and 40 per cent anticipate lowering retail spending, while 41 per cent expect to increase spending on bills and loan repayments.

Seventy-three per cent view credit as very or extremely important; 40 per cent say they have sufficient access to credit, up from 36 per cent, but only 57 per cent plan to apply for new credit or refinance, down from 69 per cent. Personal loans remain the top choice at 53 per cent, mobile loans attracted 45 per cent – six points higher than a year ago – and 27 per cent intend to use buy-now-pay-later products. Among Millennials, the intention to seek credit fell by 15 points to 60 per cent.

“Kenyan consumers are demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of slower income growth,” said Morris Maina, chief executive officer of TransUnion Kenya.

Digital fraud was reported by 77 per cent of respondents who said they had encountered scams via email, online platforms, phone calls or text messages in the previous three months; 68 per cent avoided loss and 9 per cent fell victim, down from 10 per cent in Q2 2025, with Generation Z the most vulnerable at 12 per cent.

Those who discovered that their identity details or online accounts were stolen took protective steps: 57 per cent changed the password on the affected account, 54 per cent updated passwords on other accounts and 46 per cent checked for unauthorised activity. In the prior 60 days, 72 per cent changed passwords as a precaution, half enabled password-less login or multi-factor authentication, and 36 per cent reviewed their credit reports.

“It’s encouraging that consumers are proactive about protecting their financial information,” Maina added, noting that ongoing education and fraud-prevention solutions will remain critical as digital adoption expands.

The study was carried out by TransUnion in partnership with research provider Dynata between April 29 and May 19, 2026, surveyed 462 Kenyan adults aged 18 and over, and reported a 95 per cent confidence level with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.