The newly rebranded industry body Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) has turned to social media in a strategy aimed at creating a platform where members of the public can engage senior executives in the banking sector. The online event is part of a wider plan by the industry umbrella body to engage stakeholders and increase awareness and knowledge about the banking industry.
Kenya has 43 banks all of whom are members of KBA. This is in addition to the several micro-finance institutions and several foreign exchange bureaus. In the last couple of years, the country has registered impressive economic growth in various sectors of the economy; like manufacturing, ICT, agriculture, education, energy and infrastructure. The banking sector has been a major partner and participant in this growth.
At the event held on 12 July, Richard Etemesi, KBA chairman answered questions on interest rates. "This has been an extremely interesting and eye opening experience," said Etemesi after spending time chatting to online participants.
The weekly online forum will see various bank chief executive officers and other industry players tackle various topics related to banking on diverse dates over a period of four weeks. During these sessions, the public will have the opportunity to be part of the conversation through comments and questions which will be responded to by the relevant CEO hosts.
Among the topics to be discussed during these sessions are: interest rates, savings, good debt versus bad debt and SME opportunities and challenges. Other topics include investment tips and how to finance your first home.
While commenting on this development, Habil Olaka KBA CEO says the public should expect more of such forums as the association works towards closer engagement with the banking stakeholders.
The next forumThe next online forum will be held on Thursday, 19 July at 10am (Kenya time). Martin Oduor, the CEO of Kenya Commercial Bank will discuss the topic of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Later in the afternoon, Frank Ireri, the CEO of Housing Finance will discuss the topic of mortgages and real estate finance at 2pm.
"I am convinced that the information to be relayed through these conversations is critical in helping Kenyans make informed banking decisions. We are keen to demystify banking and engage with the public on matters of interest," said Olaka.
For more information and to register, go to
www.kba.co.ke.
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 has turned to social media in a strategy aimed at creating a platform where members of the public can engage senior executives in the banking sector. The online event is part of a wider plan by the industry umbrella body to engage stakeholders and increase awareness and knowledge about the banking industry.)
