Updated 10 November 2026
The Absa Bank Kenya CEO is Yusuf Omari, who is listed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer on the bank’s own About us page. Omari joined the bank in 2004 from KPMG and later served as Chief Financial Officer from 2009 before becoming MD and CEO. This profile sets out the biography Absa publishes, the country management committee that works with him, and the board chaired by Mohammed Nyaoga.
Updated November 2026. Names, roles and biographies are taken from Absa Bank Kenya’s About us page, checked on 10 November 2026. The page does not state the date Omari became Managing Director, so this guide does not invent one.
On this page
In this guide
Who is the Absa Bank Kenya CEO in 2026?
Absa Bank Kenya PLC lists Yusuf Omari as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the board (appointed to the board in June 2009). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) and a Certified Internal Auditor. The About us page does not give a start date for the MD and CEO role itself, only the 2009 board appointment, which predates that role because he was Chief Financial Officer from 2009 until his later appointment as MD and CEO.
| Item | Detail published by Absa |
|---|---|
| Current Absa Bank Kenya CEO | Yusuf Omari, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer |
| Joined the bank | 2004, from KPMG |
| Earlier role at the bank | Chief Financial Officer from 2009, and before that Head of Compliance and Head of Internal Audit for East and West Africa |
| Board appointment | June 2009 |
| Board chairman | Mohammed Nyaoga, EBS, SC (appointed to the board August 2025) |
| Parent | Absa Group Limited, listed on the JSE in South Africa |
For other Kenyan chief executives, see the Kenya Airways CEO profile and our new CEOs in Kenya tracker.
The Absa Bank Kenya CEO’s background
Absa says Omari has more than 20 years of banking and leadership experience spanning finance, strategy, transformation, risk management, governance, compliance and internal audit. The career steps the bank itself lists are:
- He joined Absa in 2004 from KPMG.
- He has been Head of Internal Audit for East and West Africa, Head of Compliance, and Chief Financial Officer from 2009, before being appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
- The bank says he has played a key role in growth, operational efficiency and business transformation.
- Qualifications: an MBA from Strathmore Business School, a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Nairobi, and the Advanced Management Program offered by Strathmore Business School and IESE Business School.
- External boards: University of Nairobi Enterprise Services, and ICPAK.
Those are Absa’s words and dates, not a reconstructed CV from other sources. Anyone searching for the Absa Bank Kenya CEO should treat the About us page as the primary source, because the bank does not publish a separate stand-alone CEO biography.
The country management committee that works with the CEO
Under the heading “Our leaders” / Country Management Committee, Absa lists the following executives alongside the CEO (titles as published on 10 November 2026):
- Diana Mwaniki, Acting Chief Financial Officer (previously Head of Financial Decision Support; CPA-K, MBA from United States International University, bachelor’s in banking and finance from Moi University)
- Moses Muthui, Consumer Banking Director
- Chiera Waithaka, Chief Risk Officer (joined 2017)
- Christine Mwai-Marandu, Country Credit Director
- Mumbi Kahindo, Director, People and Culture
- James Agin, Executive, Corporate and Investment Banking
- Ken Kanyarati, Legal and Compliance Director (appointed 15 November 2021)
- Mwihaki Wachira, Director, Marketing and Corporate Affairs
- Julius Kamau Mwangi, Chief Operating and Digital Officer (appointed 16 February 2024)
- Elizabeth Wasunna-Ochwa, Director, Partnerships (previously Business Banking Director for seven years)
- Renato D’Souza, Business Banking Director
Absa publishes a short biography for each of these people on the same page. This guide does not repeat every biography in full; it records the committee as the bank lists it, so readers can see who reports into the CEO’s office.
The Absa Bank Kenya board
The About us page also lists the board. Chairman Mohammed Nyaoga, EBS, SC, was appointed in August 2025. He is a senior partner at Mohammed Muigai LLP and a former chairperson of the Central Bank of Kenya board. The other directors named on the page, with the appointment months Absa gives, are:
| Director | Role | Appointed to the board |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Nyaoga, EBS, SC | Board chairman, Independent Non-Executive Director | August 2025 |
| Yusuf Omari | Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer | June 2009 |
| Marion Gathoga-Mwangi | Non-Executive Director | October 2024 |
| Kedibone Imathiu | Independent Non-Executive Director | November 2022 |
| Christine Sabwa | Independent Non-Executive Director | February 2022 |
| Louis Onyango Otieno | Independent Non-Executive Director | March 2018 |
| Caroline Armstrong | Independent Non-Executive Director | September 2025 |
| Charles Njenga Murito | Independent Non-Executive Director | June 2020 |
| Fulvio Tonelli | Non-Executive Director (also a board member of Absa Group Limited) | October 2020 |
| Dr Catherine Adeya | Independent Non-Executive Director | June 2026 |
| Anne Nyongesa | Company Secretary | February 2025 |
Committee chairs named on the page include Kedibone Imathiu (Corporate Governance, Nominations and Remuneration), Christine Sabwa (Audit and Risk), Louis Onyango Otieno (Strategy), and Charles Njenga Murito (Credit). Yusuf Omari’s board entry lists no committee memberships.
How Absa describes the bank
Absa Bank Kenya PLC is part of Absa Group Limited, which the page describes as an African financial services group listed on the JSE, with a presence in 12 countries and around 42,000 employees. In Kenya the bank says it offers retail, business, corporate and investment, and wealth management solutions. The Kenyan company is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, so shareholders who want to buy the stock can follow the usual CDS route set out in our guide on how to buy shares on the NSE. Practical products, such as a dollar account, are handled by the bank itself; see how to open a dollar account in Kenya.
This profile does not estimate Omari’s pay. Where listed companies disclose directors’ remuneration, those figures are collected on the CEO salaries in Kenya page. For a wider set of Kenyan business leaders, start at our people in Kenyan business hub.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the current Absa Bank Kenya CEO?
Yusuf Omari is listed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer on Absa Bank Kenya’s About us page, checked on 10 November 2026.
When did Yusuf Omari become Absa Bank Kenya CEO?
Absa’s About us page does not publish the date he became Managing Director and CEO. It says he joined in 2004, became Chief Financial Officer from 2009, and was appointed to the board in June 2009, then later became MD and CEO. This guide does not invent a start date.
Who chairs the Absa Bank Kenya board?
Mohammed Nyaoga, EBS, SC, is listed as board chairman and independent non-executive director. Absa says he was appointed to the board in August 2025.
Is Absa Bank Kenya part of a larger group?
Yes. The bank says it is part of Absa Group Limited, which is listed on the JSE in South Africa, is present in 12 countries and has around 42,000 employees.
Who is the acting CFO at Absa Bank Kenya?
Diana Mwaniki is listed as Acting Chief Financial Officer. Absa says she was previously Head of Financial Decision Support.
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