Firm-Specific Factors and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of credit risk and income diversification on commercial bank performance in Kenya. Impaired loans and total loans were used to measure credit risk. Net interest income and net non-interest income were used to measure income diversification. The study's population consisted of thirty-nine Kenyan commercial banks. The study, which spanned eight years from 2013 to 2020, relied on secondary data from audited annual financial statements. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Based on the findings, credit risk has a significant impact on bank performance. An increase in credit risk tends to lower the bank's financial performance in terms of profitability. The study further examined the impact of income diversification on bank performance. According to the regression results, income diversification had a significant impact on bank performance. The analysis concludes that banks and monetary authorities should devise strategies to ensure that asset quality is appropriately maintained and that non-performing loans are regulated and kept to a minimum to improve their performance. Further, given that over-diversification can affect bank performance by increasing the volatility of returns and default risk, there should be a balance between interest income and non-interest revenue as a source of income.