NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Cabinet Secretary and veteran banker James Macharia has been appointed chairman of Sidian Bank, succeeding James Mworia in a major board overhaul aimed at steering the lender into a new phase of growth.
Macharia, who served as Transport and Health Cabinet Secretary under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, brings more than four decades of experience spanning Kenya’s public service and the banking sector.
Before joining government, he was the Chief Executive Officer of NIC Bank, which later merged with Commercial Bank of Africa to form NCBA Group.
He takes over from Mworia, the Centum Investment Company Group CEO, who has chaired Sidian Bank since 2014. Mworia will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
“It has been a great honour to serve as Chairman of Sidian Bank since 2014, a period during which we successfully transitioned from K-REP Bank to Sidian Bank and strengthened the institution’s foundation for sustainable growth,” said Mworia. “I wish the new chairman, James Macharia, and the board every success as they lead Sidian into its next phase of transformation.”
Centum, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, remains one of Sidian Bank’s top shareholders.
As part of the restructuring, Sidian has also appointed three new board members — Prof. Paul Gachanja, Apollo Ong’ara, and Madhav Bhandari — bringing a mix of academic, financial, and audit expertise to the institution.
Prof. Gachanja is an Associate Professor of Economics and Registrar (Administration and Finance) at Kenyatta University.
Ong’ara, a financial services veteran with three decades of experience, has held senior roles at KCB, Family Bank, Citibank, and Barclays in Kenya and Ghana, and currently works as a financial consultant.
Bhandari, a Managing Partner at Baker Tilly, brings over 20 years of financial oversight and audit experience to the board.
Macharia said he was honoured to take on the leadership role at a time of strong growth and opportunity for the bank.
“I’m happy to be joining Sidian Bank at a very exciting growth phase of the business,” he said. “I thank my predecessors for a job well done and look forward to an exciting and transformational journey ahead.”
