Blatant Negligence on Customer Satisfaction by Kenyan Institutions

By Sally Nkirote.

"The customer is always right" is a motto or slogan which encourages service staff to give a high priority to customer satisfaction.

Customer service is a crucial aspect of any institution, whether public or private. It reflects an organization's efficiency, commitment and respect for the people it serves. However in Kenya, many institutions, ranging from government agencies to banks, telecommunication companies and health care providers are notorious for poor services.

Complaints of unanswered phone calls, ignored emails, long waiting times and rude staff, especially in the Human Resources(HR) department, have become the norm rather than the exception.

One of the biggest complaints from customers is the difficulty in reaching institutions when they have urgent issues. Many Kenyan companies and government agencies provide customer service through phone calls and emails, but these contact often do not serve their intended purpose.

The government agencies become a nightmare for customers; For instance, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is responsible for vehicle registration, driver's licenses and traffic regulations. Many Kenyans have aired their frustrations about trying to reach the NTSA for assistance.

The official helpline ( 020)6632060 often goes unanswered, forcing customers to make multiple calls with no success. Emails sent to info@ntsa.go.ke can take weeks or even months to get a response. This lack of efficiency means that simple services like license renewal can turn into stressful ordeals.

"@muthoni 254 on February 2024, she claims that NTSA phone line are just for decoration."I sent emails, made calls and even tagged them, but no response."(From Twitter)

Similarly, the immigration Department has been criticized for its slow response times. Kenyans applying for passports often struggle to get updates with (020)2222022 frequently going unanswered. Emails sent to  info@immigration.go.ke may be ignored for weeks, leaving travellers frustrated and stranded.

(@juma wanderer, march 2024, claims that he needed to travel urgently, but immigration Kenya wouldn't even pick my calls nor emails."They don't care, forget about it!") (Twitter)

Even banks, which handle sensitive customer information and finances, have been accused of poor customer service. Customers of Equity Bank have reported struggles when trying to reach customer service via 0763000000. Many complain that calls either go unanswered or are picked up after a long wait, only to receive unhelpful responses

(Equity services are even the worst! I stayed on hold for 30 minutes only to cut me off?"@Otienosam,march2024 complains) (Twitter)

KCB Bank customers have also raised issues with a long waiting time when calling 0711087000 for assistance. Some complain that even after holding for over 20 minutes, their calls are disconnected without any help being offered.

When it comes to emails, responses are even worse. A client who emails Cooperative Bank at customerservice@co-opbank.co.ke may have to wait over a week to get a generic response that does not even address their concern properly.

Telecommunication companies are the most frustrating service from industry giants. One would expect telecommunication companies, which deal directly with millions of customers daily, to have the best customer service. However, this is not the case in Kenya.

Safaricom, the country's largest telecommunication company, receives thousands of complaints about its customer service hotline 100 being unreachable, especially during peak hours. Customers trying to resolve Mpesa issues are often left waiting endlessly. Similarly to Airtel Kenya, which fares even worse, customers report that calls to 0733100100 often get disconnected before they can speak to an agent. Emails sent to customercare@ke.airtel.com are sometimes never responded to, leaving customers feeling helpless.

@WanjikuM, January 2025, says, "I lost my simcard, trying calling customer care safaricom, after 15 minutes of holding they hung up with no help at all!"(Twitter)

A growing number of job seekers and employees have also complained about the rude and unprofessional behavior of Human Resource(HR) personnel in various Kenyan institutions.

For instance, applicants seeking updates on job applications often find HR representatives dismissive or outright rude. A former employee at Kenya Power shared a story of how after waiting two months for a response to their application, they called the HR only to be rudely told, "If you haven't heard back, then you were not considered. Stop calling us!"

Jane Mwangi on LinkedIn ( March 2024) says, "I applied for a job at Kenyan top company, went through interview two rounds and I was told to wait for feedback in two weeks. It's been two months, and there's been no feedback. I emailed HR, and there was no reply.  I finally called, and the rude HR officer said, "If you haven't heard back, then you were not successful and hung up the phone!

Most customers are left with a bad taste with bad services.

Government ministries have also been accused of treating job seekers with little respect. Emails sent to the public service commission info@publicservice.go.ke often go unanswered, and calls to 0202223901 are rarely helpful.

Negligence in customer services has far-reaching consequences whereby many Kenyans are forced to make multiple follow-ups for simple inquires, leading to loss of productivity Also customers are unable to resolve financial disputes with banks or telcos, making them suffer losses due to fraud, incorrect transactions or failed services. Many people have lost faith in public and private institutions, preferring to avoid interactions.

Inorder to rebuild trust and improve customers satisfaction Kenyan institution must invest in customer service through training especially those in HR and customer care on professionalism, patience and effiency, enhance digital communication where emails are responded within 24-48 hours and using AI chatbots to handle simple queries also, increase the number of customer service representatives to reduce waiting times and improve response rates, and in companies they should implement systems where customers rate service quality and report rude employees.

For Kenya to progress, institutions must prioritise customer satisfaction by ensuring efficiency and respectful service. Only then can we create a system where customers feel valued rather than frustrated.