A recent opinion piece argues that Kenya's financial system, not its informal sector, poses the real risk to economic growth due to outdated models inherited from Western banking frameworks. Despite the informal sector contributing significantly to GDP and employment, millions of workers remain financially excluded.

• 83.4% of total employment is in Kenya's informal sector, creating 703,700 new jobs in 2024.
• The article highlights that 65% of MSME loan applications to formal banks were rejected last year, often due to a lack of traditional collateral.
• The author, Fellaris Wambui, Presenter on Capital FM’s Breakfast Show, advocates for re-engineering risk models and empowering regulators to champion responsible, inclusive financial innovation.