On 13 November 2018, KCB Bank staff accused the Banking, Finance and Insurance Union of Kenya (BIFU) of failing to defend them in disputes with the lender, with some workers saying their complaints were repeatedly left unresolved.
The allegations centred on BIFU secretary-general Isaiah Kubai and his relationship with KCB chief executive Joshua Oigara. According to the source material, staff believed the closeness between the two men helped stall cases that should have been pursued on behalf of employees.
One of the claims involved a court matter over a performance appraisal. The article alleged that the case collapsed after the union and a judge were bribed Sh5 million.
Unnamed staff members also accused Kubai of routinely taking the side of bank management whenever workers raised grievances. One KCB employee, speaking anonymously, said: “Instead of the Union protecting us and making where we work better, they always side with banks and I know money exchange hands”.
The article further claimed that Kubai had mismanaged BIFU and ran it without accountability. It also said attempts to get action from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Judicial Service Commission and the Director of Public Prosecutions had reached a dead end.
The source did not include responses from Joshua Oigara, Isaiah Kubai, BIFU, or the institutions named in the complaints. It also said there was evidence linking Oigara and his handlers to bribery and corruption, while noting that the anti-corruption drive had not produced visible action in the matter.
