Kenya braces for a Gulf remittance hit from the Middle East war

Kenya’s diaspora inflows eased to US$397.8m in April (down 5.9% year-on-year, off March’s record), and the World Bank’s April update warned of losses up to US$40m a month from the Gulf corridor as the Middle East conflict disrupts energy facilities and Hormuz shipping — with roughly 500,000 Kenyans working in Gulf states. North America still supplies over half of flows. For you: if your family relies on a Gulf-based sender, build a buffer now; that corridor is the most exposed to the current conflict.