Mr Okulo, a seasoned banker with 24 years of experience, joins KCB from NCBA bank, where he was serving in a similar position. 

“We are excited to have John to spearhead the continued growth of our corporate banking franchise as we seek to catalyse the country’s growth agenda,” said Annastacia Kimtai, managing director at KCB Bank Kenya.

Mr Okulo is replacing Esther Masese Waititu, who had held this position since 2021 but joined Safaricom in February 2023 as the chief financial services officer.

Read: Safaricom shakes up top management

Ms Waititu’s exit from KCB triggered a talent war that has seen the lender headhunt Mr Okulo, who has been at CBA, since July 2011, before its merger with NIC to form NCBA in 2019. 

Mr Okulo previously worked as a chief commercial officer at Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), managing director at NC Bank Uganda and head of corporate and investment banking at Stanbic Bank Uganda, among other roles.

He holds a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Gdansk, Poland and several global and local certifications.

Mr Okulo started his banking career in 1997 as a Standard Chartered Bank Kenya management trainee. 

He now joins KCB’s corporate banking division, which offers a suite of financial products and services targeted at mid-to-large-sized corporates and public sector entities.

KCB re-organised its corporate banking into sectoral lines of manufacturing, industrials, infrastructure and energy, financial services, and the public sector to drive technical and financial leadership.

Read: KCB Group picks insider as first CEO of Kenya unit

Last year, the KCB Group corporate banking unit more than doubled its net profit from Sh8.7 billion to Sh17.9 billion to overtake retail banking as the second top profit-earner for the lender.

The net profit from corporate banking accounted for 43.8 percent of the Sh40.8 billion net earnings generated by KCB Group in the financial year ended December 2022.

Net earnings from retail banking slowed from Sh15.6 billion to Sh13.35 as net earnings from treasury rose 52 percent to Sh31.2 billion. By Patrick Alushula, Business Daily

MOGADISHU, Somalia

At least 19 members of the al-Shabaab terrorist group were killed on Sunday in a joint operation led by Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in the country’s Lower Shabelle region, officials said.

The operation, which took place in Bula-Mohamed-Abdalla village on the outskirts Awdheegle, was conducted with the support of some of Somalia’s international partners working with the country on the security front, according Ahmed Abdiwahid, a security official in the region who spoke by phone to Anadolu.

Awdheegle is a strategic agricultural town located 84 kilometers (52 miles) west of the capital Mogadishu.

Vehicles and weapons belonging to al-Shabaab were also destroyed in the operation, according to the security official.

Lower Shabelle saw one of the deadliest attacks by al-Shabaab on a base of the African Union Transition Mission forces late last month.

Fifty-four soldiers from Uganda serving under the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia were killed during the attack in the town of Bulo Marer, some 110 kilometers (68 miles) south of Mogadishu.

The Somali National Army (SNA) has been battling the terrorists since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war” on them following his reelection in May last year.

Since then, the army has liberated large swathes of territories from al-Shabaab in the country’s south and central provinces, including the strategic coastal town of Harardhere, which had been under the group’s control for more than a decade.

On Friday, the terrorist group launched a deadly attack on the Pearl Beach Hotel and Restaurant in Mogadishu, a popular beachside establishment frequented by government officials, marking the fourth major attack by the group in the country in less than two weeks.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union mission in the country since 2007.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats from the al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terrorist groups. Anadolu Agency

Romania has recalled its ambassador to Kenya over an alleged racist slur uttered during a meeting in Nairobi in April.

The envoy, Dragos Viorel Tigau, alleged 'monkey slur' during an April meeting at the United Nations headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi, sparked outrage among the diplomatic community.

In a statement seen by The Standard, the Romanian Foreign Affairs ministry apologised over the "remark and behaviour", saying has begun the process of recalling the envoy. 

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs decided that the Romanian ambassador to Kenya return urgently to Romania, and the MFA's internal Control and Diplomatic Evaluation Unit scan at once the necessary procedures, including the establishing of internal necessary measures to be taken in the given situation,” the ministry said.

The statement noted that the incident took place in late April during discussions by Eastern European and African diplomats in Gigiri, where the envoy allegedly referred to the African group with the monkey slur. 

The offensive comment, seen as racially insensitive and derogatory, prompted calls for swift action and accountability within diplomatic circles.

On Saturday, June 10, the Romania Foreign Affairs ministry said the envoy has since apologised, including in writing

“Any behaviours or comments of a racist nature are completely unacceptable. Such behaviors and attitudes do not reflect, in any way, the institutional and human values that underpin the diplomatic action of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the statement read. 

“We deeply regret this situation, convey our apologies to all those affected, and strongly reject and condemn all behaviors and attitudes incompatible with mutual respect,” the ministry said.

Former Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau also expressed disappointment in the remarks on his official Twitter page, saying the actions were regrettable.

“Appalled and disgusted at learning of remarks by Romanian ambassador in Nairobi in reference to African group members as ‘monkeys’ during Eastern European group meeting. Utter shame on attempts to cover up this disgrace. This is intolerable and unacceptable!” Ambassador Kamau tweeted.

According to a protest note seen by The Standard, African diplomats expressed disappointment and frustration over the ‘laxity’ in resolving the issue which they said had tarnished diplomatic engagements. 

On Friday, the African diplomats intensified their displeasure, saying a 'private apology' was inadequate given the gravity of the offense, and insisted on a written public apology. 

They said this was the only way the envoy would demonstrate genuine remorse for his objectionable actions.

The Kenyan government has, however, remained mum on the incident.