Crown Paints' Profit Rises to Record KSh 486M on Stronger Demand

Crown Paints Kenya has posted its strongest first-half performance on record, with revenue rising 13.1% to KSh 8.38 billion and net profit climbing 11.2% to KSh 486 million.

• The latest results extend a sharp recovery from the earnings slump of 2023 and 2024 as higher sales volumes and stronger customer demand lifted the listed paint and emulsion manufacturer.
• Profit before tax rose 25.5% to KSh 688 million in the six months ended June from KSh 548 million a year earlier, pushing the pre-tax margin to 8.2% from 7.4%.
• Crown said increased sales volumes drove the revenue growth as the group strengthened its regional market presence and customer relationships.

The results extend a turnaround that accelerated last year. Crown's first-half net profit has risen from just KSh 37 million in 2023 and KSh 75 million in 2024 to KSh 437 million in 2025 and a record KSh 486 million this year. Revenue has increased for three consecutive first-half periods from KSh 5.64 billion in 2023.

The recovery had already carried into the full-year numbers. Crown reported a 74.2% increase in 2025 net profit to KSh 948 million as sales rose to KSh 15.99 billion from KSh 13.45 billion. The company maintained a KSh 3.00 final dividend after restoring shareholder payouts following its 2023 loss.

Crown is now investing to lower production costs and reduce its reliance on imported inputs. The company plans to spend KSh 141.24 million on an emulsion-binder factory and plastic injection-moulding plant at Lukenya in Athi River. Crown currently imports 600 to 700 tonnes of emulsion binder monthly, an input used in about 80% of its paints. Local production is intended to reduce import and logistics costs, while the plastics plant will bring production of paint packaging in-house.

Regional operations remain a more difficult part of the growth strategy. Crown injected an additional KSh 791.47 million into its loss-making Tanzanian subsidiary in 2025, lifting its investment in the business to KSh 1.56 billion. The company is pursuing a new depot in Dodoma and factory in Dar es Salaam as part of efforts to turn the unit around. It has separately discontinued Crown Paints Allied Industries Limited in Kenya and initiated its deregistration.

The balance sheet expanded alongside the business, with total assets rising 19.1% to a record KSh 10.63 billion and equity increasing 14.3% to KSh 4.13 billion. Cash and cash equivalents climbed to KSh 1.08 billion from KSh 635 million.