OREANDA-NEWS. February 19, 2015. Kenya's main share index rose for an eighth straight session, driven higher by the soaring stock of the country's sole electricity supplier Kenya Power.

The shilling was little changed.

Kenya Power advanced 5.9 percent to 17.95 shillings. The stock has risen more than 17 percent this year.

The power firm reported on Tuesday a 53 percent rise in first half profit on higher sales and tariffs.

"That's what drove the performance," said Agnes Achieng, a research analyst at Sterling Investment Bank, referring to the stock.

Achieng said the Kenyan index improved from greater investor interest in the country's banking sector. Most banks report their full-year results in late February and March.

"People anticipate that they will report positive earnings," she added.

The Nairobi Securities Exchange's main NSE-20 Share Index rose 52.32 points or 0.78 percent to close at 5,446.04 points, while the all share index closed at a new record high of 172.90 points

On the foreign exchange market, the shilling closed trade at 91.30/91.40 to the dollar, barely changed from Tuesday's close of 91.30/91.50.

A Treasury bond auction of a two-year and re-opened 10-year notes worth a total 25 billion shillings (\\$273.37 million) was oversubscribed, with bids totalling 51 billion shillings.

Traders say hard currency inflows over the past week targeting the sale have supported the local currency.

The shilling was supported by foreign funds targeting the stock market, they said.

"It is basically just foreign investments flowing in," said a trader with a commercial bank.

On the secondary market, government bonds worth 1.9 billion shillings (\\$20.37 million) were traded, up from 1.4 billion shillings on Tuesday.