Pay Disparities Fuel Growing Employee Discontent at Consolidated Bank of Kenya

Employees at Consolidated Bank of Kenya, a fully state-owned commercial bank regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), have raised concerns over alleged disparities in remuneration and what they describe as unequal treatment of staff across different cadres within the institution.

The complaints, shared anonymously by an employee, point to a widening gap in pay structures within the bank, with claims that certain staff in sales and customer-facing roles receive significantly higher compensation compared to others performing what are described as similar duties and responsibilities.

According to the whistleblower, employees in higher sales positions are said to earn substantially more than Direct Sales Representatives, who allegedly receive low monthly stipends that are further subjected to statutory deductions including Social Health Authority (SHA) and housing levy deductions. The employee argues that despite both categories being involved in revenue generation and customer acquisition, the compensation structure remains uneven and demoralizing.

The complaint further claims that a recent internal communication indicated salary increments for management staff in response to the rising cost of living, while lower cadre employees were not included in the adjustment, raising questions over fairness and internal equity within the institution.

"Hello Cyprian. Please keep me anonymous. I want to expose Consolidated Bank of Kenya. It is not treating its employees equally. Hii bank ni kama ni ya matajiri na maskini. This bank has employees who are paid well and others who are paid poorly. For example, a Business Development Officer is paid a salary of KSh 100,000 while a Direct Sales Representative is paid a monthly stipend of KSh 20,000, which is also deducted for SHA and housing levy. This is unfair since they are doing the same roles. Yesterday, a memo was circulated for salary increments for management staff and the rest of the staff to cushion them against the cost of living, but for the Direct Sales Representatives who do the donkey work and earn KSh 20,000, not a single penny was added to their salary. My question is, who is supposed to be cushioned against the high cost of living, the person earning KSh 20,000 or the one earning KSh 100,000? This bank does not treat its employees equally. Ni kama shamba la wanyama where all animals are equal but some are more equal than others, and this is a government bank; it should cushion everyone against the high cost of living."