Welcome to Absa Bank Kenya PLC

Absa Bank Kenya is part of Absa Group Limited, an African financial services group that aims to be the pride of the continent. Absa Group Limited is listed on the JSE in South Africa and is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups with a presence in 12 countries across the continent and around 42, 000 employees.

We’re committed to finding local solutions to uniquely local challenges and everything we do is focused on adding value. To this end, we offer our clients a range of retail, business, corporate and investment, and wealth management solutions. We also ensure a positive impact in all the countries where we operate.

We’re part of a truly African brand, inspired by the people we serve and determined to always be brave, passionate and ready so that we can make our continent proud.

What is our purpose?

Our purpose is to bring your possibility to life. We believe in possibility, in the actions of people who always find a way to get things done.

We believe in creating opportunities for our customers to make their possibilities real and supporting them every step of the way

Our group is a future-focused organisation, driven by progress and our desire to thrive in the digital age.

How we get things done:

We are committed to being brave, passionate and ready

Empowering communities

We aim to play a shaping role in society and be an active force for good by:

Earning trust: By acting with fairness and providing just outcomes for all stakeholders and becoming known for reliability by delivering consistently on our promises

Shaping societies: By contributing significantly to the communities in which we operate, thereby enhancing the continent’s economic growth and development

Promoting inter-generational sustainability: By being accountable for our impact on the environment and building viable communities by evolving as their needs change

Driving thought leadership: By providing insights that help the industry to develop new and innovative ways to solve society’s challenges

Meet our Country Management Committee

Country Management Committee

Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director - Abdi Mohamed

Abdi Mohamed is the CEO and Managing Director of Absa Kenya Absa Bank Kenya Plc, effective from 1 May 2023. Abdi is a Kenyan with over twenty-eight (28) years of experience in the financial sector and has held various executive positions within Absa Group.

Prior to his appointment to Absa Bank Kenya, he was the Managing Director of Absa Bank Tanzania and acting Managing Executive for Retail and Business Banking, Africa Regional Operations, Absa- a role that spans multiple geographies where Absa operates within Africa.

He has also previously served as Chief Operating Officer for the Bank in Kenya.

Other roles he has held within the organization include Retail & Business Banking Director in Kenya and Zambia and Operations Efficiency Manager, Barclays Global Retail & Commercial Banking, London.

Abdi Mohamed holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) - Kenyatta University, Masters Business Administration (MBA) – Edith Cowan University and an Advanced Management Programme (IMD Business School – Switzerland).

Chief Finance Officer - Yusuf Omari

Mr. Omari joined Absa Bank Kenya PLC in 2004 from Audit Firm, KPMG (1998- 2004). He previously worked as the Head of Internal Audit East and West Africa cluster (2004- 2008) and then as Head of Compliance (2008-2009) before his appointment as the Chief Financial Officer in 2009.

He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) and Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). Yusuf is also a Board Member for The University of Nairobi Enterprise Services and ICPAK.

He is a qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA) as well as a Certified Internal Auditor. He holds an MBA from Strathmore Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi.

Chief Strategy Officer & Finance Director, Corporate and Investment Banking - Moses Muthui

MMoses is the Chief Strategy Officer at Absa Bank Kenya and Finance Director for the Corporate and Investment Banking unit. He has expansive experience in professional banking in the areas of Finance, Treasury, Investment Banking, Strategy, and Investor Relations divisions. He has worked in senior roles over the last 10 years in London, Wall Street - New York and Kenya.

Moses holds an MBA from the University of Nairobi, MSc. in Finance from the London School of Economics, a B.A in Economics and Mathematics from Egerton University Kenya, a certified accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the United Kingdom, Certified Public Accountant Kenya (CPA, K) and a licenced Investment Banker (FINRA U.S).

Chief Risk Officer - Chiera Waithaka

Chiera joined Absa Bank Kenya PLC in 2017 as the Chief Risk officer. Chiera has over 20 years’ experience in risk management and has held senior management roles with the Standard Bank Group Regional Office, East Africa, Stanbic Bank Kenya and Barclays Bank.

Chiera holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) – Strategy and Finance from Warwick Business School, Bachelor of Law Degree from University of Nairobi, and an Associate Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Bankers, He is also a Certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) by the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

Country Credit Director - Christine Mwai-Marandu

Christine has over 20 years of experience in Credit Risk working for Absa Bank Kenya PLC and has served in various capacities within the Group including in UK, South Africa, and Tanzania. She is the Country Credit Director where she is responsible for Credit, Country and Sovereign risk and the end-to-end credit life cycle for all borrowing clients in Retail and Business Banking, Corporate & Investment Bank and Markets (Sales and Trading). She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Services and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management, UK. She also holds an Advanced Management Program qualification from Strathmore Business School, an Associate of Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB) qualification and is a certified Executive Coach.

Managing Principal, Retail and Business Banking
- David Hardisty

David joined Absa Bank Kenya PLC in 2019 after nearly 19 years with Barclays PLC. A vastly experienced Retail and Commercial Banker David has held roles in multiple geographies including time in Kenya and Botswana as well as operating across 13 African markets when leading the Barclays Wealth business. David was schooled in North Yorkshire, UK, and Graduated with an Economics degree from the University of Leeds.

Director, People and Culture - Mumbi Kahindo

Mumbi is a seasoned HR practitioner and coach with over 20 years’ experience, half of which have been in leadership positions. Mumbi previously worked with Deloitte for 10 years in various disciplines of human capital based in Kenya and New York. More recently, and over the last 8 years, Mumbi has held various HR leadership roles within Absa Group, initially with Absa Bank Kenya PLC as a senior HR Business Partner and Head of Leadership, Learning & Talent, and most recently as the Head of Leadership and Learning for Absa Regional Operations covering 10 markets outside South Africa.

Managing Principal, Corporate and Investment Banking
- James Agin

James began his banking career in Absa Bank Kenya PLC in 1993 and undertook various roles in both Corporate and Treasury before moving to Barclays Uganda as Corporate Director in 2004. He later joined Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Uganda as the Managing Director in 2008 and moved back to Kenya in 2010 as the Chief Business Officer for the East Africa region and later as Corporate Banking Director. James has 10 years of Board experience and has served in the Boards of Barclays Uganda and the KCB subsidiaries.

He holds an Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School, an MBA from the IESE Business School in Spain and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nairobi.

Legal and Compliance Director - Ken Kanyarati

Ken Kanyarati was appointed effective 15 November 2021. Prior to his appointment Ken worked with the Standard Bank where he held several senior roles in the organization including, Regional Compliance Executive (Eastern Region), Head of compliance & Legal and Head of Compliance and Money Laundering Control. Ken holds a Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB) from the University of Nairobi, Diploma from the Kenya School of Law, a Certificate of Proficiency for the Trustee Development Program from the College of Insurance. He is also a Certified Compliance Professional by the International Academy of Business and Financial Management and is a Certified member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). He is also the Vice Chairman if the Compliance Society of Kenya

Acting Chief Operating Officer - Ruth Kamengere

Ruth is currently the acting Chief Operating Officer at Absa Bank Kenya PLC and prior to her appointment she was the Head of Financial Crime Operations and Controls

Ruth has vast experience having served Absa Bank diligently in various capacities spanning from Branch Operations, Procurement & Supplies, Business Continuity Management, Payments, Governance, Controls, Information Risk Management and Financial Crime Control in Absa Bank Kenya. She rolled out Operational Risk Management (ORM) in Absa Tanzania and carried out audits to test embedment of the ORM framework in Botswana and Ghana. She has a track record of developing strategies and creating new functions from inception with successful results. She was instrumental in driving the inception of a fit-for-purpose operational framework on Financial Crime Control Function achieving separation of first and second lines of defense in adherence to Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF).

Ruth holds a Masters Degree in Sociology - Disaster Management from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Psychology Degree in Counselling from the same university. She has also undertaken the Board Competence Director’s Course offered by the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) in Collaboration with Centre of Corporate Governance and is a Member of the Business Continuity Institute UK (MBCI).
Board of Directors
Charles Muchene - Board Chairman

Appointed to Board: August 2016

Appointed Chairman: October 2016

Committee membership: Corporate Governance Nominations & Remuneration Committee & Strategy Committee

External Directorships: AIG Kenya Limited

Previous roles

Chairman and Non-Executive Director, East African Breweries Limited

Independent Non-Executive Director, CfC Stanbic Holdings Limited

Country Senior Partner and Financial Service Industry Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Qualifications

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), University of Nairobi

Fellow, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya

Member, Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya

Member, Institute of Directors
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director - Abdi Mohamed

Abdi Mohamed is the CEO and Managing Director of Absa Kenya Absa Bank Kenya Plc, effective from 1 May 2023. Abdi is a Kenyan with over twenty-eight (28) years of experience in the financial sector and has held various executive positions within Absa Group.

Prior to his appointment to Absa Bank Kenya, he was the Managing Director of Absa Bank Tanzania and acting Managing Executive for Retail and Business Banking, Africa Regional Operations, Absa- a role that spans multiple geographies where Absa operates within Africa.

He has also previously served as Chief Operating Officer for the Bank in Kenya.

Other roles he has held within the organization include Retail & Business Banking Director in Kenya and Zambia and Operations Efficiency Manager, Barclays Global Retail & Commercial Banking, London.

Abdi Mohamed holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) - Kenyatta University, Masters Business Administration (MBA) – Edith Cowan University and an Advanced Management Programme (IMD Business School – Switzerland).
Yusuf Omari - Chief Finance Officer

Appointed to Board: June 2009

Committee membership: None

External roles and memberships

Board Member, University of Nairobi Enterprise Services

Board Member, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK)

Previous roles

Head of Compliance, Barclays Kenya

Head of Internal Audit East and West Africa, Barclays Kenya

Senior Auditor, KPMG

Qualifications

Advanced Management Program (AMP), Strathmore and IESE Business School

MBA, Strathmore Business School

B.A. Economics, University of Nairobi

Fellow, Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya

Certified Internal Auditor
Dr. Laila Macharia - Non-Executive Director

Appointed to Board: August 2014

Committee Chairperson: Credit Committee

Committee Membership: Audit & Risk Committee

Committee membership: Strategy Committee

External roles and memberships

Chairman, Africa Digital Media Group

Chairman, Africa Leadership Initiative - East Africa

Non-Executive Director, Centum Investment Company PLC

Non-Executive Director, Two Rivers Development Limited

Non-Executive Director, Pearl Marina Estates Limited

Non-Executive Director, Vipingo Development PLC

Member, Centum Foundation

Qualifications

LLD, Stanford Law School (US)

LLM, Stanford Law School (US)

LLM, Cornell Law School (US)

LL.B, Cornell Law School (US)

B.A., University of Oregon (US)

Member, State Bar of New York (US)Member, State Bar of Maryland (US)

Member, Law Society of Kenya
Japheth Olende - Non-Executive Director

Appointed to Board: March 2018

Board Chairperson: Absa Bancassurance Intermediary Limited

Subsidiary Board Membership: Absa Asset Management Limited

Committee membership: Credit Committee, Corporate Governance Nominations & Remuneration Committee

External roles and memberships

Board Member, Jumbo Chem Company Limited

Board Member Ler Ltd

Executive Director, OBG Company Limited

Board Member, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics

Previous roles

Board Member, Retirement Benefits Authority

Board Member, AIG Kenya Insurance Company

Board Member, AIG Uganda Insurance Company

President, American Chamber of Commerce Kenya Chapter

Director, Association of Kenya Insurers

Director, Eagle Eye Laser Centre

Qualifications

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), University of Nairobi

Chartered Insurer, CII London

Member, Institute of Directors
Patricia Ithau - Non-Executive Director

Appointed to Board: March 2016

Board Chairperson: Absa Securities Limited

Committee Chairperson: Corporate Governance Nominations & Remuneration Committee

Committee membership: ARC

External roles and memberships

Managing Director, WPP-Scangroup Limited

Regional Director, Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies – Stanford Seed

Non-Executive Director, Vivo Activewear Limited

Non-Executive Director, Jambojet Ltd

Trustee, Vodafone Foundation UK

Non-Executive Director, Mpesa Foundation

Non-Executive Director, British Chamber of Commerce

Executive Coach, Academy of Executive Coaching

Previous roles

Non-Executive Director, Trade and Markets East Africa

Former Non-Executive Director, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)

Non-Executive Director, WPP Scangroup Ltd

Managing Director, L’Oreal East Africa

Managing Director, EABL – International

Managing Director, Uganda Breweries Ltd

Qualifications

Advanced Management Program (AMP), Strathmore and IESE Business School

MBA, United States International University Africa

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), University of Nairobi

Dip. Executive Coaching, Academy of Executive Coaching
Louis Onyango Otieno - Non-Executive Director

Appointed to Board: March 2018

Board Chairperson: Absa Asset Management Limited

Committee Chairperson: Strategy Committee

Committee membership: Audit & Risk Committee

External roles and memberships

Board Member, Nation Media Group

Chairman, Sera Afrika

Previous roles

Director, Corporate Affairs, Microsoft 4Afrika

General Manager, East and Southern Africa, Microsoft Corporation

President, American Chamber of Commerce - Kenya

ICT Advisor to the Presidents of Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique

ICT Advisor, COMESA Business Council

Board Member, Kenya Vision 2030

Board Member, Red Media Africa (Nigeria)

Board Member, Enablis East Africa

Board Member, Fintech International

Qualifications

MBA, Long Island University

BSc (Hons) Computer Science, Mercy College
Charles Njenga Murito - Non-Executive Director

Appointed to Board: June 2020

Committee membership: Corporate Governance Nominations & Remuneration Committee, Credit Committee

External roles and memberships

Regional Director, Sub Saharan Africa, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google

Previous roles

Country Director, Google Kenya

MD and Chief Commercial Officer of Programming, Wananchi Group (Zuku)

Director, Business Development, Middle East and Africa, Turner Broadcasting (Europe)

Senior Manager, Programming Strategy, Turner Broadcasting (Europe)

Chief of Staff to the President, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Brand and Sales Manager, East Africa, MTV Networks Africa

Sales Executive, Content Sales, Domestic TV Distribution, Warner Bros. Entertainment Ltd

Qualifications

MBA, Entertainment Business and Finance, Cass Business School, London, 2011

Bachelor of Science, Psychology and Management, Woodbury University Burbank, California, 2000
Christine Sabwa - Non-Executive Director

Appointed to Board: February 2022

Committee Chair: Audit & Risk Committee

External Roles and Memberships

Managing Partner, Sabwa & Associates

Board Member, Britam Life Assurance Kenya Limited

Board Member, Multi Choice Group Limited

Board Member, ECLOF Kenya

Board Member, Shalom Group of Hospitals

Previous Roles

Group CFO, Stanbic Bank Kenya Limited

COO, Airtel Money Africa

Board Member, Spire Bank Kenya Limited

Board Member, Royal Nairobi Golf Club

Qualifications

BCom (Accounting), University of Nairobi, Kenya

Certified Public Accountant, Kenya
Fulvio Tonelli - Non-Executive Director

Appointed to Board: October 2020

Committee membership: Audit & Risk Committee, Credit Committee

External roles and memberships

Board Member, Absa Group Limited

Chairman, Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors

Non-Executive Director, the Ethics Institute

Previous roles

Partner, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Operating Officer, PwC South Africa

Qualifications

BCom (Accounting), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, SA

BCom, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, SA