Busia Senator Andrew Okiya Omtatah has called on the Central Bank of Kenya and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate allegations of misconduct by Absa Bank Kenya PLC. The senator's request follows a civil dispute between Absa and New Mega Africa Limited, a road-haulage firm that filed a case in the Mombasa Commercial Court in 2022. Omtatah's letters to the central bank and DCI, dated September 17, 2026, seek formal probes into accusations of unlawful payments, breaches of client confidentiality, and other alleged misconduct by Absa staff.
New Mega Africa opened an account with Absa in March 2020 and obtained financing for its trade receivables, truck fleet, and other facilities. The company alleges that Absa's delays in consolidating its outstanding loans into a single term loan caused cash flow problems, leading to the loss of contracts with Mombasa Cement and Tororo Cement. This, in turn, forced the firm to cease operations of a fleet exceeding 40 trucks. The company's documents show that the restructuring took roughly seven months.
New Mega Africa has made several allegations against Absa staff, including demands for cash and M-Pesa payments for loan drawdowns. The company claims that Absa staff demanded payments ranging from Sh7,000 to Sh500,000. One alleged transaction involves a Sh100,000 payment to Evelyn Essendi, identified as the spouse of Absa officer Wycliffe Makori, linked to a temporary overdraft request of Sh3 million. Another alleged transaction cites a Sh40,000 payment tied to a Sh2.56 million disbursement to Tororo.
Makori has acknowledged several of the transfers but described them as personal or friendly gestures. He denied pressuring New Mega Africa to lend Sh820,000 to another Absa client, Buzz Afrique, or receiving any commission. The senator also raised concerns about the disclosure of New Mega Africa's confidential financial information to third parties. A supplier and a customer allegedly presented the firm's overdrawn bank statement without its consent.
Omtatah has asked the central bank to assess possible regulatory breaches and review Absa's procedures for handling complaints, whistle-blowing, anti-bribery controls, and data security. He requested the DCI to record statements from named officials, obtain M-Pesa and bank-transfer records, and retrieve Absa's internal investigation files. The senator also suggested that the matter be referred to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Data Protection Commissioner for parallel inquiries.
The allegations against Absa staff include breaches of client confidentiality and data protection rules. Omtatah asked the central bank to determine whether Absa violated Section 31 of the Banking Act or data-protection rules. The senator stressed that any regulatory or criminal investigations would be distinct from the ongoing civil litigation between New Mega Africa and Absa.
All allegations remain unproven in criminal courts. The civil dispute between Absa and New Mega Africa Limited began in 2022. Omtatah's requests to the central bank and DCI were received on September 21, 2026.
Key points
- Senator Omtatah seeks investigation into alleged Absa misconduct
- Absa Bank Kenya PLC faces allegations of unlawful payments, data breaches
- Central Bank of Kenya and DCI to investigate allegations
