NCBA Bank has been taking serious heat from customers lately and the complaints are hard to ignore. One of the most shared posts came from athlete and public figure Dennis Ombachi.
He openly called out the bank after its mobile app failed him completely. He stood in a supermarket line ready to pay only to find he could not complete the transaction.
After waiting nearly an hour on the phone just to reach a customer service agent, the embarrassment was complete. In his own words the bank had become a joke.
The bank later replied with an apology and asked him to share his account details in a private message. Ombachi did not wait.
He went ahead and closed the account.
This is not an isolated case. Many Kenyans have long complained about the same problems.
The app goes down without warning. Customer care lines stay busy for long periods.
People find themselves stuck when they need to move money or pay for everyday items. When a bank cannot even keep its basic digital services running smoothly, trust starts to break down.
Customers begin to ask themselves whether their money is safe or whether they will face the same humiliation the next time they try to shop or pay a bill.
At the same time another post by Cyprian Nyakundi added a sharper edge. He described NCBA as a bank linked to the Kenyatta family and claimed it was under pressure over serious questions of corruption and money laundering.
Whether those claims hold up in court is for investigators and regulators to decide. What is clear is that the combination of poor service and these heavier accusations has put the bank in a difficult public position.
People are no longer staying quiet. Some are moving their money to SACCOs. Others are spreading their banking across different institutions so they are not left stranded by one failing app.
A bank exists to make life easier for its customers, not harder. When the app does not work and the phone line keeps you waiting, the daily frustrations pile up.
When bigger questions about integrity start circulating at the same time, the damage goes deeper.
NCBA has responded to individual complaints with apologies, but the pattern of problems continues to surface. Customers are voting with their feet and with their posts. They expect reliable services and clear answers. Right now many feel they are getting neither.
The pressure on the bank is real and it is coming from ordinary people who simply want to transact without drama.
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