NCBA Bank to close 14 branches

NCBA Bank will shut down 14 branches following a successful merger between NIC Bank and Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA).

Operations in some of the outlets that are to be merged had been halted in April to prevent the spread of Covid-19. "The rationalisation will see 14 branches that are co-located or in close proximity merged into another branch,” the bank said in a statement yesterday.

"Of these branches, seven had been temporarily closed on April 1, 2020, due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic."

The lender said the affected staff will be redeployed across the bank's network and business units.

The move will see the bank's branch network in Kenya reduce to 68.

NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora said the process of rationalising some of the branches operated by the NIC and CBA before the merger started early in the year with a view to streamlining operations for the enhancement of efficiency and service delivery.

He noted that the business had seen an increased use of alternative channels such as online and mobile banking since the start of the pandemic in Kenya.