KCB to lay off employees to save costs

The Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), with the largest assets, is set for early retirement layoffs for its employees to save Sh.2 billion for staff costs per annum.

This comes after the recent interest rates capping and technology changes in the country.

The KCB statement explains that the programme is expected to align the competing needs of adapting to a banking industry whose outlook has been dimmed by legislative and regulatory reforms.

It also says that further evolving technology platforms are now attracting non-traditional players into the financial services sector.

Employees who opt for retirement will receive at least three months’ pay medical insurance cover for the rest of the year.

“Other benefits include loan rebates that will see 25 percent of the outstanding staff loans balances paid off and the remainder to continue at staff rate for six months,” said the lender.

Chief executive Joshua Oigara said in the statement that the retrenchment is intended to help cut costs and boost returns to shareholders.

Last year’s KCB’s staff count dropped by 223 with Sh186 million spent to compensate the affected employees.

Also, last year Kenya Commercial Bank became the second lender to reduce its cost of loans to 14.5 percent; a decision that came after the Cooperative bank was the first to take a step in cutting down loan costs.

Closing the year 2016, the retrenchment affected many employees across the region.