Let’s run down to specifics on this man (Reuben Koech) and the non performing track record, Underperformance & interest rates

Let’s go back to age old wisdom which says that all men are not created equal. And as a simple Kenyan citizen, I believe in that more than anyone else. In any group, you will find overachievers and not so trusted achievers but when one’s achievement crosses the negative line to the south, it’s never a forgiving story. While getting rid of the latter may seem the obvious solution at all solution at all times in all profiteering organizations, it’s not necessarily what NBK has done to this serial under-performer, Mr. REUBEN KOECH.

While other banking institutions were successful in transferring the non-performing button which has become of this kingpin, NBK has been very lenient even on the obvious situations listed below:

1. Banks mainly generate revenues from interest on loans, interest rates in a liberalized economy like the one in Kenya are market driven but largely influenced by CBKs interest rates policy at any given time. As such, when the government intensifies internal borrowing, the deposits markets shifts substantially and government bonds become attractive to the market which then forces a scramble on deposits held by the banks. Unfortunately for the household consumer, the borrowing interest rates go up unless banks are willing to make losses triggered by interest expense. This happens to have been the case in a better part of 2015 and whilst it is a no brainer for any graduate who has ever been into a class where economics units are studied, the reverse chronology seemed to have been the comfort zone for this man, Mr. Koech. Reuben allegedly maintained interest rates below T-Bills and as rumours stroll around, they manage to scavenge on specific information that this man had negotiated a fund-back strategy with customers to reimburse him 50% of the saved interest oblivious of the fact that this had a direct relationship to the bank’s operating income and hence the question, “who is he working for?” since you cannot blatantly and painfully bite the hand that feeds you.
2. To successfully deliver the dinosaur to the river, this kingpin targets only Kalenjin customers who essentially are not corporate in any nature and have zero corporate demeanor. This tribal mentality is so entrenched that it is so obvious to anyone in the organization. A local witness within the organization who sought anonymity for fear of victimization explained that this kingpin has an office bigger than the MDs and tribal affiliates flows into that office like a turbulent river and all of them report all the happenings to their godfather who sits in the board, one MR. KERING’. It is said that the office is normally busy and the TRIBAL force is trying to have Mr. Koech as the MD despite his underwhelming performance in the industry. This fame has technically gained him access to all Kalenjin women in the organization. It is intimated that Mr. Koech holds meetings in a well-known hotel with the likes of Grace Lotera of Procurement, Albin Sigei of Premises, Dorothy of Audit and Emily Oduor of Premium banking while planning to oust and devour the Chief Operating Officer Mr. Tomaso Gachie simply because he belongs to the TNA side of the Jubilee coalition and hence not friendly to their unknown agenda.
3. The little known kingpin is currently trying to gel political support from the DPs office in support of his underperformance since he has never been confident about his ability without a Godfather support.
4. Due to these political affiliations, Koech has been trying to eliminate competitions and indeed hounded out the then Executive Director Mr. Samson Okero to pave way for him to further demonstrate incompetence in that position. He was angrily supported by the Board Godfather who has no appreciation of corporate performance and would rather have a tribe-mate rather than a performer. Scattered pieces of information suggest that Reuben has been engineering too many baseless rumours about the organization with an aim of putting the organization in bad light with the hope that he will be given the leadership of the organization.

Quotes:

• Performance stands out like a ton of Diamonds; Non-performance can always be explained away.
• It’s much more difficult to reward Non-Performers than Performers.
• Virtue is more clearly shown on the performance of fine actions than in the non-performance of base ones.