Kenya’s banks recorded their strongest customer satisfaction scores on record in 2025. Then customers tried to raise a complaint.
The Kenya Bankers Association Banking Customer Satisfaction Survey 2025, which drew 40,854 responses — the largest sample in the survey’s history — reveals a striking contradiction: satisfaction with primary banks climbed to 84.6%, yet the share of banks that always resolve complaints within two days fell from 75.4% to 66.5%. One in three customers no longer receives timely, consistent resolution.
Mobile banking now ranks first for 60.1% of customers. The industry Net Promoter Score, however, slipped from 44.0 to 42.6, driven by a rise in detractors from 14.2% to 17.5%. Satisfaction and advocacy are moving in opposite directions. That gap deserves attention.
Key Numbers
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Survey responses | 40,854 | 37,471 |
| Primary bank: positive rating | 84.6% | 80.6% |
| Secondary bank: positive rating | 66.4% | — |
| Mobile banking ranked first | 60.1% | ~56.5% |
| Complaints resolved within 2 days (always) | 66.5% | 75.4% |
| Net Promoter Score (NPS) | 42.6 | 44.0 |
| Promoters | 60.1% | 58.1% |
| Detractors | 17.5% | 14.2% |
| Persons with disabilities banking independently | 93.7% | 93.0% |
What Customers Actually Want
Digital access leads every other priority. Nearly half of all survey responses — 49.5% — identify mobile banking, internet banking, or self-service tools as the most important banking feature. Credit and lending ranks second at 9.2%, followed by payments and transfers at 8.5%. Physical cash access at ATMs and branches still draws 6.3% of responses. Pricing and fees register just 0.8%.
The phone is the primary door to banking. With 60.1% placing mobile banking first and 80.1% placing it in their top two, banks that deliver a poor app experience lose customers before those customers ever step into a branch.
Secondary Banks Are Now a Benchmark, Not a Backup
Sixty-six percent of customers rate their secondary bank positively — 18 percentage points below primary bank scores, but high enough to matter. Secondary banks no longer function as backup accounts. Customers compare service quality across institutions every day and move money toward whichever bank performs better.
Who Ranked Where and Why Sidian Bank Stands Out
The survey ranks banks using a composite of Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score. Equity Bank placed first overall. NCBA placed second. KCB placed third.
In Tier III, Sidian Bank placed second behind ABC Bank. That result carries weight. A Tier III institution finishing above larger competitors on a measure that combines everyday service quality with customer advocacy tells a clear story: the bank earns loyalty relative to its size. .
| Ranking | Bank | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Overall | Equity Bank | Tier I |
| 2nd Overall | NCBA Bank | Tier I |
| 3rd Overall | KCB Bank | Tier I |
| 1st — Tier II | National Bank | Tier II |
| 1st — Tier III | ABC Bank | Tier III |
| 2nd — Tier III | Sidian Bank | Tier III |
| 3rd — Tier III | Kingdom Bank | Tier III |
| 1st — Microfinance | Caritas Microfinance Bank | MFB |
Complaint Resolution: Where Banks Are Losing Ground
The 2024 survey recorded a high point for complaint resolution. Banks did not hold it. In 2025, one in five customers says complaints get resolved within two days only sometimes. One in twelve says it rarely happens at all.
The global benchmark for strong first-contact resolution sits between 70% and 79%. Kenya’s banking sector, at 66.5%, falls short of that threshold.
Unresolved complaints produce detractors. Detractors reduce NPS. A lower NPS signals weaker advocacy in a market where peer recommendation drives account-opening decisions. The chain from a slow complaint to a lost customer is short.
AI Tools Are Working for Most Customers
76.8% of customers report that AI tools — chatbots, fraud alerts, and personalised services — improved their satisfaction at least moderately. The gap sits with older customers: 68.4% of those aged 65 and above report moderate or better improvement, compared with 80.3% among those aged 18 to 25.
Banks that deploy AI without designing for digital confidence across age groups will widen that divide, not close it.
Accessibility: Progress With More Ground to Cover
93.7% of customers with disabilities report banking independently, up from 93.0% in 2024. Mobile banking now leads accessibility demand at 58.9%, the one channel where needs are rising, not stabilising. As mobile becomes the primary interface for banking in Kenya, its accessibility requirements grow alongside it.
The Bottom Line
Satisfaction is up. Complaint handling is down. Detractors are growing. Secondary banks are watching. The 2025 survey delivers a clear message to the sector: digital investment alone does not hold customers. Consistent service does.
Banks that match their digital ambition with the discipline to resolve complaints quickly, serve every age group well, and treat secondary customers with the same care as primary ones will move from satisfaction to advocacy.
