British American Tobacco Kenya has increased its dividend pay-out by 6.56 per cent, a move that will keep the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) listed company as one of the best payers to investors for the full year ended December.

The cigarette maker on Thursday said that it will pay its investors a final dividend of Ksh29 ($0.34)for the period ended December 2012, bringing the total pay-out for last year to Ksh32.50 ($0.38) up from Ksh30.50 ($0.37) paid for the year ended December 2011.

The dividend will be approved by shareholders during its annual general meeting that has been scheduled for April 30 this year.

“The final dividend when added to the interim dividend already paid, gives a total dividend of Ksh32.50 per share,” said BAT in a statement that accompanied its full year results which added that this is a Ksh2 ($0.02) increase from the previous year.

BAT’s share, which is currently the most expensive at the NSE last traded at Ksh530 ($6.15) meaning that this year it has appreciated by 7.51 per cent when compared to its closing price of Ksh493 ($5.92) at the end of last year.

The cigarette maker posted a profit after tax increase of 5.58 per cent to Ksh3.27 billion ($37.93 million) as at December 2012 from Ksh3.09 billion ($35.92 million) posted at the end of December 2011.

Its revenues grew marginally by 5.85 per cent to Ksh30.50 billion ($353.72 million) from Ksh28.81 billion ($334.17 million) over the same period of time and said that domestic, exports and contract manufacture cigarette volumes grew by 13 per cent reflecting growth in both domestic and export sales.

BAT said that total volume growth was however partially offset by lower export volumes of cut rag (semi-processed tobacco) and a stronger exchange rate.