Nairobi, March 20 -- Agricultural firm Kakuzi has retained a Sh24 per share dividend despite a 46 percent drop in net profit to Sh453.5 million for the year ended December 2023 on lower macadamia earnings due to reduced global demand.

The company said that its macadamia business posted a net loss of Sh241.8 million in 2023 from a net profit of Sh439.6 million in 2022. Its bottom line was hurt by a 47 percent rise in cost of sales to Sh3.56 billion.

Total sales rose to Sh5.4 billion from Sh4.43 billion in 2022, helped partly by a depreciating shilling, which increased the value of dollar and euro-based revenue.

Despite the profit fall, Kakuzi retained its annual dividend at Sh24 per share, translating into a total payout of Sh470.4 mill...