As access to banking improves in the Kenyan population, customers are beginning to expect more. They want institutions that understand their realities, walk alongside them, and co-create solutions that fit their ambitions. NCBA Group has responded to this call through its customer obsession agenda; a strategy designed to make banking more personal, responsive, and transformative.
That commitment is no longer just words on paper. It is being lived out through regional customer engagement tours, where NCBA leaders are leaving the boardroom and meeting clients on the ground, listening, and tailoring solutions in real time.
In September, NCBA leadership, led by Managing Director James Gossip, embarked on an engagement tour across Kerugoya, Karatina, Nyeri, and Nanyuki. These towns represent the heart of Central Kenya’s economy, driven by sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, and trade.
Also read: Meeting SMEs Where They Are: How NCBA is Promoting SME Growth
The goal was simple yet powerful: to sit with customers, hear their challenges, and design solutions together. It was a demonstration of the bank’s promise of being more than a financial institution, but a trusted growth partner.
“Our strategy is built on being truly customer obsessed,” Mr. Gossip emphasized. “This means sitting with our customers, listening to the constraints they face, understanding their aspirations, and co-creating solutions together. Whether it is agribusiness financing, corporate and business banking solutions, forex or retail banking products, we want to ensure that NCBA Kenya is not just a bank to our customers but a trusted growth partner.”
This approach went beyond courtesy visits. Leadership immersed themselves in the daily realities of clients, from farm owners and factory managers to healthcare providers, building an understanding that no amount of market research could replicate.
Dennis Njau, Group Director, Retail Banking at NCBA, highlighted how these tours align with a bigger vision.
“At the beginning of the year, we said to ourselves we want to connect with our customers more, we want to understand what they do a whole lot more, so that we are able to tailor-make solutions for our customers from a point of understanding,” Njau said.
This vision is at the core of NCBA’s customer obsession strategy, a philosophy that treats customer feedback not as a formality but as the foundation for innovation.
The same philosophy came to life earlier this year in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, where NCBA leadership reconnected with SME clients across diverse sectors. From schools and hospitals to food processors and millers, leadership visited seven businesses to understand how the bank could support their growth more effectively.
For many of these enterprises, access to asset financing has been the bridge to expansion, while digital solutions like NCBA Till and internet banking have allowed them to streamline operations and scale more efficiently.
The initiative also expanded into a larger forum, bringing together more than 150 entrepreneurs. The event provided not only financial insights but also opportunities for peer learning, networking, and exploring new markets.
Through collaborations with Africa Guarantee Fund, Water.org, Afawa, Proparco, and Strathmore University, SMEs are able to access a broader ecosystem of support, from financing and technical training to global market linkages.
What makes NCBA’s approach distinct is its view of banking as more than transactions. By embedding itself in the realities of its customers, the bank is positioning itself as a partner in long-term growth.
The customer engagement tours reflect a shift in how financial institutions can drive impact. Instead of providing off-the-shelf products, NCBA is building ecosystems of prosperity:
- Providing SMEs with the right financial tools to expand.
- Leveraging partnerships to unlock technical expertise and new markets.
- Facilitating forums for entrepreneurs to connect, share, and learn from each other.
- Offering digital solutions that simplify and professionalize operations.
This is banking that recognizes customers not only as account holders but as communities, businesses, and institutions whose success fuels the broader economy.
As customer expectations evolve, the institutions that will thrive are those willing to move closer to their clients, listen more deeply, and design solutions that match real-world needs. NCBA’s regional engagements signal that the bank is prepared to do just that.
By choosing to immerse itself in the realities of agriculture, healthcare, trade, and manufacturing, NCBA is not only supporting today’s business leaders but also laying the foundation for future resilience and growth.
