Weekly LocalBitcoins volume of Bitcoin transaction in Kenya reached an all-time-high of KSh11.4 million (about US$110,000) in the week of December 3, 2016 which, when compared to a volume of KSh1.4 million in the first week of the year, shows the East African country's market has moved at a ten times rate in a year.

According to Coin.dance, which monitors and produces community-driven Bitcoin statistics and services, the last time Kenya recorded something close to the latest trade amount was in the week of 16 July 2016 when weekly LocalBitcoins volume was at KSh10.57 million.

Though LocalBitcoins is the world's largest online Bitcoin trading marketplace, it is not the only platform serving the East African country.

Several others, including Bitpesa, help people across the region to exchange the digital currency for local currencies. This could mean that the actual amount being transacted generally with Bitcoin could be higher though not on record.

Though Kenya has been a popular market for Bitcoin in Africa being a major early adopter country after South Africa, it is not clear what could be responsible for this particular spike in use.

Nonetheless, similar trends have shown that greater awareness which could have led to increased usage is key. Looming inflationary outlook in an economy could drive many to use the digital currency as a store of value to protect their earning.

It is also believed that the higher the price of Bitcoin, the more people get involve in it. In the week in question, the global price of Bitcoin rose to about US$777 - a height it last reached in January 2014 when it topped US$908 just two months after it dropped from its highest market price ever: US$1,123 according to CoinMarketCap.