(Adds Zambian kwacha)
KAMPALA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Kenya's and Uganda's shillings
are expected to gain ground against the dollar in the next week
to Thursday, while Tanzania's will hold steady, traders said.
KENYA
The Kenyan shilling KES= is forecast to strengthen,
supported by inflows from offshore investors buying government
bonds and subsiding dollar demand from the energy and
manufacturing sectors.
Commercial banks quoted the shilling at 100.55/75 per
dollar, compared with 100.80/101.00 at last Thursday's close.
"We're not seeing the end-month push for dollars anymore ...
there is a higher affinity for investors bidding for bonds,"
said a trader from one commercial bank.
TANZANIA
Tanzanian shilling TZS= is expected to hold steady, with
traders forecasting sufficient dollar availability to meet
importer demand.
Commercial banks quoted the shilling at 2,305/2,315 on
Thursday, the same as last Thursday's close.
"The available dollars will at least calm down the current
demand in the market which is highly driven by importers,” a
trader in one commercial bank in Dar es Salaam said.
UGANDA
The Ugandan shilling UGX= is expected to strengthen,
helped by month-end dollar inflows from charities.
Commercial banks quoted the shilling at 3,675/3,685,
compared with 3,670/3,680 at last Thursday's close.
"Inflows from NGOs (non-governmental organisations) will
keep the local unit biased toward the stronger side," said a
trader from a leading commercial bank.
The trader said inflows from other exports like coffee and
gold would also help. The two are the east African country's
largest exports and top sources of foreign exchange.
ZAMBIA
The kwacha ZMW= is expected to trade in a narrow range. On
Thursday, commercial banks quoted the currency at 14.7500 per
dollar from a close of 14.4770 a week ago.
"The market appears relatively balanced and it is unlikely
that there will be any big moves in either direction going into
next week," one commercial bank trader said.