When powerful women rise to the top, many expect them to lift other women up. At KCB, the opposite appears to be happening. The tragic death of Rosemary Koech Kimwatu, Head of Data Protection, has laid bare a harsh truth: some of the worst workplace bullies are women in high positions.
At the centre of this storm stand two names, Managing Director Annastacia Kimtai and Group Chief Risk Officer Faith Basiye.
Rosemary was a mother of four and a respected professional. She had worked hard, built a strong career, and joined KCB with hope. Instead, she faced constant pressure, public humiliation, and endless criticism.
According to messages that circulated before her death, she formally complained that Faith Basiye, her direct supervisor, was mishandling her and destroying her mental health.
She reported this to Human Resources, the CEO, and even outside parties. Nothing changed. The complaints were ignored.
The pressure continued until she could no longer bear it.
This was not an isolated case of one difficult boss. Insiders say the entire culture under Annastacia Kimtai thrives on fear. Staff describe a workplace where people are belittled in meetings, expected to answer messages at all hours, and punished for the smallest mistakes. Loyalty is demanded.
Questions are not welcome. Those who speak up are sidelined or pushed out. Human Resources, which should protect workers, is said to protect senior management instead.
When you report a problem, you become the problem.
What makes this especially painful is that both Kimtai and Basiye are women. Kimtai made history as the first woman to lead KCB Bank Kenya.
She is celebrated as a trailblazer. Yet the same leadership that broke glass ceilings is now accused of crushing other women beneath it.
Basiye, a highly experienced risk expert with decades in forensics and compliance, is alleged to have used her position to grind down a subordinate until that subordinate broke.
Women bullying women in the corporate world is not new, but when it ends in death, the silence must end.
Rosemary’s story is a warning. Talent, experience, and hard work mean little when the people above you decide you are disposable.
A culture that allows senior women to rule through fear, while claiming to empower others, is toxic. It destroys careers, families, and lives.
KCB and Kenya’s corporate sector can no longer look away. Accountability is overdue. Rosemary deserved better.
So do the many others still trapped in silence under the same iron fist.
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