Absa Bank appoints Mohamed Nyaoga as board chairperson

Absa Bank Kenya has appointed former Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) chairperson, Mohamed Nyaoga, as its new board chair, effective October 1.

Nyaoga takes over from Charles Muchene, who is retiring after serving a full nine-year term.

In a statement, the bank announced, "Absa Bank Kenya PLC (Absa Kenya) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mohammed Nyaoga, EBS, SC, as the Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective 01 October 2025. He succeeds Mr. Charles Muchene, whose tenure as a Director and Chairman of the Board will end on September 30, 2025."

Nyaoga brings over 40 years of experience in legal practice, specialising in corporate finance, civil and commercial litigation, and corporate governance.

He is also a Senior Counsel and, at the time of his appointment, served as the Chairperson of the African Development Bank Group's Disclosure and Access to Information Appeals Panel. He is also Absa's non-executive director, a position he was appointed to in August 2025.

Nyaoga served as the Ecobank Kenya board chairman from July 2014, but stepped down when he was appointed the CBK chairman in 2015, where he served for eight years and retired in June 2023

According to Absa, Nyaoga is a certified director and corporate governance training consultant with over 22 years of experience. He has trained several boards in Kenya and globally, and has been a regular trainer and speaker for Central Banking Publications (UK) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on corporate governance.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law. He is a member of the Institute of Directors of Kenya.

The bank expressed confidence in his leadership, stating, "We are confident that together with the highly dynamic Board and vibrant management team, Nyaoga will improve the Bank's governance and steer its strategic direction."