Toxic Work Environment at Equity Bank!! Senior Manager JAMES GAKUNDI captured on camera mistreating junior staff in a meeting! He even roughs them up

Friday, February 14, 2025 - There appears to be growing concerns among staff regarding the conduct of a senior credit officer, with allegations of unprofessional behaviour surfacing across multiple instances.

Reports from employees suggest that workplace tensions have been escalating, with claims of hostility, intimidation, and, in some cases, near-physical confrontations.

Despite complaints purportedly being raised through internal channels, some sources indicate that no substantive action has been taken, leading to speculation about whether internal oversight mechanisms are being effectively applied.

According to accounts from individuals familiar with the situation, the officer in question has allegedly developed a reputation for dismissing grievances brought against him, reportedly claiming that complaints will not lead to any consequences.

Some employees believe that his confidence in avoiding disciplinary measures stems from support within the bank’s hierarchy, though no official confirmation of such protections exists.

The latest alleged incident, captured on video, appears to show him expelling credit staff from a meeting over a five-minute delay, with reports suggesting that the employees had encountered transport disruptions due to planned demonstrations along Thika Road.

Despite what some describe as a reasonable explanation for their lateness, he is said to have refused to engage in any discussion, instead instructing them to leave the meeting.

Following the incident, affected employees are believed to have escalated their grievances to the relevant departments, but there are claims that the matter was not meaningfully addressed.

Some staff now suggest that this lack of intervention has emboldened the officer, with reports emerging that his interactions with both colleagues and customers have become increasingly strained.

One particularly concerning account describes an alleged confrontation on 25^th January 2025, when he is said to have berated a client seeking assistance, along with the security personnel accompanying them.

Witnesses claim that when customer service supervisors attempted to intervene, the situation escalated into a heated verbal exchange, drawing attention from other clients in the branch.

"Hi Nyakundi. Hide my identity. There is this Equity Bank Credit Manager stationed at Kariobangi Branch by the name James Gakundi. The guy has been so unprofessional in dealing with staff and has even gone to the extent of almost engaging fellow staff in fistfights; it's been his mode of operation even from previous branches he has worked at The guy seems to have a godfather because all the incidents are reported, and no action has ever been taken against him, and he even boasts about it, saying even if you report him to anybody within the ranks, there is nothing that will be done.

On this particular video, he is pushing the credit staff out of the meeting for being 5 minutes late without listening to the reasons behind their lateness. The subject staff stay along Thika Road, and this specific day, the Gen Zs had planned for riots; hence there were matatus on the road.

The guys tried their best to get to the office, but he became unruly and pushed them out as per the video.

This incident was reported to the relevant departments, but since he has people who support him, the case never got resolved.

However, he now became very sarcastic and bullish to the staff, with pride that no matter where you report him, nothing will ever be done to him.

This is a corporate institution, but the guy has made it look like a casual mjengo organization where he threatens and intimidates staff and even customers.

On 25th January 2025, he was harassing a customer who had visited his office for an inquiry together with the security lady who had accompanied the client to show her the office; when the customer service supervisors interjected, he blew out with noise and unruliness, prompting the clients who were in the office to interject.

Is this the way Equity Managers are supposed to handle both staff and clients in this era of mental health awareness? Kindly expose this to the public."

Toxic Work Environment at Equity Bank!! Senior Manager JAMES GAKUNDI captured on camera mistreating junior staff in a meeting! He even roughs them up pic.twitter.com/I51SMzt4Wu

— DAILY POST 🇰🇪 (@dailypost_ke) February 14, 2025

The Kenyan DAILY POST