Regional banking conglomerate NCBA Bank Kenya, a subsidiary of NCBA Group PLC, is battling renewed allegations of internal fraud and systemic customer negligence following fresh claims by a client who lost funds through what appears to be unauthorized online activity, despite never having used the card for any digital transaction.
According to the aggrieved account holder, a sum equivalent to 100 euros (approximately Ksh 15,000) was fraudulently deducted from their NCBA debit card for an online transaction they neither initiated nor approved. The customer, who had only used the card once at an ATM and had not enabled online payment features, raised the alarm after discovering the charge.
What has since unfolded is a troubling illustration of NCBA’s alleged lack of internal control and dismissive approach to customer redress.
Upon lodging a complaint at NCBA’s Kenyatta Avenue branch, and later escalating the matter to the bank’s headquarters in Upper Hill, the customer was met with a blanket directive to wait 35 working days for “internal investigations” — a common response that critics say the bank uses to diffuse accountability.
Worse still, the customer was later informed via email that the transaction had been deemed “legitimate,” despite their consistent denial of initiating or authorizing it.
NCBA claimed a One-Time Password (OTP) had been sent via both SMS and email, neither of which the customer received.
In a further twist, the customer discovered their linked email account had been deleted and had to undergo a recovery process, raising disturbing questions about potential unauthorized access to sensitive personal data, information to which NCBA had full access.
The bank’s final position reportedly absolved itself of any liability, effectively blaming the customer for the breach, a move that has sparked renewed public scrutiny over how NCBA handles fraud cases, especially those that appear to involve potential internal complicity.
“Hey Cyprian. I want to bring this to your attention. So recently my NCBA card was used to make an online payment fraudulently, 100 euros, 16k. I opened the account in April. So my issue is, I never lost the card. I went to NCBA Kenyatta Avenue, lodged a complaint and was told to wait 35 days. I went to their head office and was told the same thing. I called back their customer care only to be told it was my problem that the fraud happened. I received a mail from them saying that the transaction appears legit and that there was no fraud involved. That an OTP was sent to my SMS and email, which I never received. On trying to access my email, I was told it had been deleted and I had to recover it. I haven’t used the card for online payment before and I have only used it once for ATM withdrawal. Can it be an inside fraud case at NCBA, because they had my email and card details? In short, that money is gone and it was from a salary I worked so hard to get. Kindly share this so that if there is someone else who has an NCBA card and the same has happened, we can come together and launch a lawsuit.”
This is not an isolated incident.
NCBA, a product of the 2019 merger between NIC Bank and Commercial Bank of Africa, has long touted itself as a digitally forward institution.
But insiders and former clients suggest that its digital platforms have also become fertile ground for untraceable fraud, especially cases involving small to medium-sized account holders who lack the influence to mount effective legal challenges.
Critics argue that NCBA’s systems may be compromised by insiders or poorly monitored third-party access points, particularly given that the customer had never enabled or tested their card for online transactions, nor had they shared their credentials with anyone else.
The incident has added to a growing body of anecdotal evidence suggesting that NCBA’s customer support culture is steeped in opacity, systemic deflection, and institutional arrogance.
Several past customers have confidentially reported similar experiences from funds mysteriously disappearing during ATM transactions, to unexplained delays in reversing erroneous debits, to online banking breaches that remain unresolved for months.
This latest case now raises two urgent concerns.
Does NCBA Bank maintain adequate safeguards to protect customer data and funds, especially in the digital environment it heavily promotes?
And when fraud happens, is the institution equipped (or even willing) to investigate transparently and compensate affected customers?
So far, the customer has received no refund or meaningful assurance.
They are now exploring legal action and have called on other victims of similar alleged fraud under NCBA to come forward and organize a class action lawsuit.
The silence from the bank’s top leadership, combined with the dismissive handling of what appears to be a straightforward case of card fraud, has ignited renewed calls for an independent audit into NCBA’s digital security architecture and the conduct of its fraud resolution department.
For now, the bank’s credibility, particularly among young, tech-savvy, digitally vulnerable customers, continues to plummet.
We at nyakundireport.com are actively pursuing additional documentation and testimony that will help shed further light on the bank’s internal handling of disputed transactions, including possible lapses in customer data protection and digital oversight.
Are you a current or former NCBA customer who has experienced unexplained deductions, stalled reversals, or suspicious online activity on your account?
We encourage you to reach out through any of our social media platforms and confidentially share your story.
