Former Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) chairman Mohammed Nyaoga has been appointed Absa Bank Kenya chairman effective October 1, 2025, barely one and half months after joining the lender’s board as an independent non-executive director.
Mr Nyaoga will replace Charles Muchene, whose tenure as a director and chairman of the board will end on September 30, having served for a nine-year term, according to the statement from Absa.
“The global, regional and local financial landscape continues to evolve, and I look forward to working with fellow board members and the management team to advance our strategic priorities and deliver sustainable value to our customers, colleagues, shareholders, and the communities we serve,” said Mr Nyaoga on his appointment.
Mr Nyaoga is not new to the banking sector. He 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.
Commenting on his impending exit, Mr Muchene said it had been a privilege to lead Absa through a “period of change, growth and resilience.”
"I am confident that the bank is strategically placed to continue its growth trajectory into the future. I would like to thank fellow board members and the management team for their trust and support throughout my tenure and wish them all the best as they continue to write the Absa Kenya story,” he said.
Mr Nyaoga has more than 40 years in legal practice. He currently serves as the senior partner at Mohammed Muigai LLP. In March this year, Mr Nyaoga was also appointed the chairman of African Development Bank Group's Disclosure and Access to Information Appeals Panel.
He is a corporate governance trainer for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In 2023, he chaired the IMF external experts panel that reviewed the governance policies of central banks around the world to minimise risks of misuse of loans and default on payments.
Mr Nyaoga holds Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of Nairobi, a postgraduate diploma from the Kenya School of Law, and certification as a Certified Public Secretary.
He has also earned corporate governance certificates from the Commonwealth Association of Corporate Governance, the American Securities and Exchange Commission and the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, where he obtained a certificate in bank governance.
