Quick answer
CRB stands for credit reference bureau: a company licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya to collect the credit information lenders send about you and share it with other lenders. Kenya has three licensed CRBs: TransUnion, Metropol and Creditinfo (CBK Bank Supervision Annual Report 2025, as at 31 December 2025).
You can see your own file for free once a year at each bureau. Our step-by-step guide shows how to check your CRB status with all three.
What a CRB holds, and who looks at it
A CRB file is built from what lenders report: the credit you've taken and whether you've repaid it or defaulted. Lenders read those files far more than borrowers do. In 2025 banks requested 47.3 million credit reports, up 23% on 2024, while individuals asked for 879,195 of their own, down 5% (CBK Bank Supervision Annual Report 2025, section 3.21).
What helps
- Loans repaid on time
- Accounts settled in full, even late ones
What hurts
- A loan listed as non-performing. Metropol describes this as a "loan not serviced for 90days" (Metropol FAQ)
- Bankruptcy, which stays on file for 7 years from discharge (regulation 34(1), 2020)
The 3 licensed CRBs in Kenya
TransUnion
Credit Reference Bureau Africa Limited, licensed 9 February 2010
Source: TransUnion fee schedule (undated), read 27 September 2026.
Metropol
Metropol Credit Reference Bureau Limited, licensed 6 April 2011
Source: Metropol FAQ (undated), read 27 September 2026.
Creditinfo
Creditinfo Credit Reference Bureau Kenya Limited, licensed 29 April 2015
Source: Creditinfo fee schedule (June 2021), read 27 September 2026.
Licence dates are from Appendix XIX of the CBK annual report 2025. Metropol doesn't publish its price for extra reports on its site, even though regulation 32(5) of the 2020 Regulations asks bureaus to publish their fees. TransUnion and Creditinfo don't publish a USSD code; ignore sites that quote one for them.
How a CRB listing works
You get notice first. A lender must give you at least 30 days' notice before it sends negative information to a bureau, or a shorter period if your loan contract allows it (regulation 25(1) of the CRB Regulations 2013; regulation 26(1) of the 2020 Regulations).
It lasts 5 years from settlement. Negative information is kept for 5 years from the date you finish paying the defaulted amount (regulation 33(1), 2013; regulation 34(1), 2020). Paying doesn't delete the record early. It changes the account to settled and starts the clock.
Small debts: a disputed floor. Under the 2020 Regulations, which are under legal challenge, lenders may not list amounts of KSh 1,000 or less (regulation 18(2)). When the rule came in, CBK said borrowers listed only for amounts under KSh 1,000 "will be delisted" (CBK press release, 14 April 2020). The 2013 Regulations had no minimum.
Only regulated lenders report. From 14 April 2020, CBK withdrew approval for unregulated digital and credit-only lenders to send data to CRBs (same press release). Mobile loans run by banks do report: the Fuliza terms (clause 11.2.5, 1 July 2026) say default is reported to CRBs, and the M-Shwari Key Facts Document (8 March 2024) lists a negative listing at 120 days unpaid. Read our guide to loan apps without CRB check for what the apps themselves publish.
Why we flag the 2020 CRB Regulations
The High Court declared the 2020 Regulations void on 28 August 2023, because they weren't tabled in Parliament in time. News reports say the Court of Appeal suspended that ruling in February 2024 while CBK's appeal (E782 of 2023) is heard (Business Daily, secondary source). On 12 February 2026 another High Court judge wrote that the Regulations are "of no legal effect whatsoever" and noted the appeal is still pending (KEHC 1306 of 2026, paragraph 121).
So on this site, rules that exist only in the 2020 Regulations (the KSh 1,000 floor, the 21-day dispute deadline, the free first clearance certificate) always carry that warning. Rules that are also in the 2013 Regulations, like the free annual report and the 5-year limit, don't depend on the case.
Your rights: free reports and disputes
Free report. Each bureau must give you your report at no charge at least once a year, within 30 days of a lender turning you down because of it, and after you ask for a correction (regulation 35(3), 2013; regulation 37(3), 2020). That's up to three free reports a year, one per bureau.
Disputes. Disputes are free at TransUnion and Creditinfo, according to their fee schedules. Under the 2020 Regulations, which are under legal challenge, the lender has 21 days to investigate or the disputed information is deleted (regulation 37(8) and (10)). The 2013 Regulations gave 14 days (regulation 35(8)). You can escalate to CBK if the bureau doesn't act (regulation 37(15), 2020).
CRB guides: what to read next
Frequently asked questions about CRB in Kenya
What is CRB in Kenya?
A CRB (credit reference bureau) is a company licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya to collect the credit information lenders submit about you and share it with other lenders. Kenya has three: TransUnion (Credit Reference Bureau Africa Ltd), Metropol and Creditinfo (CBK Bank Supervision Annual Report 2025, as at 31 December 2025).
How do I check my CRB status for free?
Each bureau owes you one free credit report a year (CRB Regulations 2013, regulation 35(3)). TransUnion: SMS your name to 21272 or use the Nipashe app. Creditinfo: the MyCreditinfo portal or app. Metropol: dial *433# on Safaricom or use the Crystobol app.
How long does a CRB listing last in Kenya?
Negative information stays for 5 years from the date you finish paying the defaulted amount, or 7 years from discharge from bankruptcy (CRB Regulations 2013, regulation 33(1); the 2020 Regulations say the same). It runs from settlement, not from the date of default.
Can I be listed on CRB for less than KSh 1,000?
Under regulation 18(2) of the 2020 CRB Regulations, lenders may not send negative information for amounts of KSh 1,000 or less. Those Regulations are under legal challenge: the High Court voided them in August 2023, a Court of Appeal stay was reported in February 2024, and a February 2026 High Court judgment calls them of no legal effect while the appeal is pending. The 2013 Regulations had no minimum.
Does Fuliza report to CRB?
Yes. The Fuliza terms and conditions (clause 11.2.5, updated 1 July 2026) say a default is reported to CRBs. Safaricom does not publish after how many days. M-Shwari publishes 120 days unpaid, after a 30-day notice (NCBA Key Facts Document, 8 March 2024).
Know where you stand before you borrow
Get a rough estimate of your score first (our own estimate, not a bureau score), then compare what lenders charge.
Sources
All sources accessed 27 September 2026.
- CBK Bank Supervision Annual Report 2025, as at 31 December 2025: the three bureaus and licence dates (Appendix XIX), report requests (section 3.21).
- Banking (Credit Reference Bureau) Regulations 2013, L.N. 5 of 2014, Kenya Law consolidation to 31 December 2022.
- Banking (Credit Reference Bureau) Regulations 2020, L.N. 55 of 8 April 2020, under legal challenge.
- CBK press release on the 2020 Regulations, 14 April 2020.
- High Court judgment, KEHC 1306 of 2026, 12 February 2026; Business Daily report of the Court of Appeal stay, February 2024 (secondary).
- TransUnion Kenya and TransUnion consumer fee schedule, undated.
- Creditinfo consumer fee schedule, June 2021, and MyCreditinfo, undated.
- Metropol FAQ, undated.
- Safaricom Fuliza terms and conditions, updated 1 July 2026; NCBA M-Shwari Key Facts Document, revised 8 March 2024.