[3] Development Bank of Kenya was established in 1963 as a non-banking financial institution.

Its primary focus at that time was to promote and develop commercially viable projects in Kenya.

[4] Shareholding in Development Bank of Kenya at its inception included (a) the Government of Kenya, through the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation, (b) the British Government, through Commonwealth Development Corporation and (c) the Government of Germany, through the German Investment Corporation.

In 1967, the Dutch Government, through the Netherlands Development Finance Company, became the fourth shareholder.

Over the years, the non-Kenyan shareholders have divested from the bank and shareholding as depicted in the table below:[5] As of August 2014[update], the bank maintains its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya's capital and largest city.