Relationship between Financial Risk Exposure and Non-Performing Loans of Commercial Banks in Kenya

Currently, there is a financial crisis affecting commercial banks in Kenya occasioned by high levels of loan loss provision as a result of Non-Performing Loans. The past decade has seen the collapse of major banks like Chase Bank among others. This trend on Non-Performing Loans of the institutions requires urgent measures to reverse failure to which the entire sector is likely to collapse, and customers would lose a significant amount of their deposits. This study sought to investigate the effect of credit risk and liquidity risk on non-performing loans (NPLs) of commercial banks in Kenya and appraise the moderating effect of firm age on the relationship between financial risk exposure on non-performing loans of commercial banks in Kenya. The study was underpinned by liquidity preference theory. The examination adopted a positivist paradigm guided by explanatory research design. The study targeted 40 commercial banks as the unit of analysis while branch managers, operations and risk managers were the units of observation drawn from the banks adding to 120 respondents and census was used. The study collected both primary data using structured questionnaire on the independent variable and secondary data from publications by Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and respective banks and the same was analyzed through the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 26 in a descriptive and inferential manner. The study established that credit risk (p<0.05) and liquidity risk (p<0.05) were all found to have significant effect on NPLs of commercial banks in Kenya and significantly moderated by their sizes. It was concluded that financial risk exposure has significant effect on NPLs of commercial banks in Kenya. It was recommended that finance manages working in commercial banks in Kenya to balance the investment in short term and long-term assets to maintain operational liquidity levels for better management of liquidity risks. Credit managers working for commercial banks in Kenya need to review the existing credit risk management efforts and mechanisms to minimize exposure to NPLs.