Mayhem at DFCU as Junior Staff beat up 2 top Bosses over Harassment

Kiconco and Maryann, the DFCU senior officials who were allegedly assaulted

Fresh turmoil has erupted inside DFCU Bank after junior staff allegedly turned against 2 senior executives, with incidents of harassment, physical confrontations, and internal disciplinary action deepening cracks within one of Uganda’s largest financial institutions. 

Sources claim that Ms. Annette Kiconco, the Chief Retail Banking Officer, has been a target of staff anger over what employees describe as harassment and unrealistic performance targets. 

In one incident last Wednesday, she was allegedly locked inside a washroom by aggrieved junior staff and badly assaulted her forcing her to raise an alarm before being rescued. 

On a separate occasion on Friday, unidentified individuals reportedly trapped her again in the toilets for nearly an hour. 

In response to the growing claims, Helena Mayanja, the bank’s Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, speaking on behalf of CEO Charles Mudiwa, dismissed the reports as baseless. “I can categorically state that the alleged assault on Ms. Annette Kiconco is untrue. At dfcu Bank, the safety, wellbeing and trust of our staff are paramount. We have clear policies, confidential reporting channels and continuous engagement platforms to address concerns fairly and promptly. Our leadership remains committed to a culture of respect, transparency and accountability, values we have upheld for 60 years as we continue to protect our people, our business and the trust of our stakeholders,” she told TrumpetNews. 

Despite this strong denial, insiders reveal that fallout within the bank has already claimed a victim. 

A male staffer in the security and administration department has reportedly been sacked today (Monday) morning after engaging in a physical fight with Maryann Wanjiku Michuki, the Chief Business Solutions and Marketing Officer, who had been tasked by CEO Mudiwa to investigate the allegations surrounding Kiconco’s ordeal. 

“She came with force demanding the footage of Kiconco’s tormentors, but the security officer told her that he didn’t have it since the cameras are not working when the fight broke out,” a source said. 

The confrontation escalated into a fight, leading to the officer’s dismissal. His position has since been internally advertised. 

On advertising the security officer’s job, Helena responded,”like any other organization, dfcu Bank experiences staff transitions from time to time, as people leave and others join for various personal or professional reasons. It is standard practice for us to promptly advertise critical roles to ensure continuity in our day-to-day operations.”

“To provide context, three roles were advertised today — one of which was vacated after the incumbent resigned last month and concluded his service today. Similarly, Mr. Mugarura’s last working day was last week, and the Bank has acted within reasonable time to begin the process of filling this important position There is no link between these routine staffing transitions and the allegations referred to earlier,” she maintained.

The clashes reflect growing tension between junior staff and senior executives, with employees accusing top management particularly female bosses of looking down on them. 

Notably, despite the seriousness of the incidents, insiders say the bank has not reported the matters to police, allegedly to avoid exposing internal weaknesses. 

DFCU has in recent years faced mounting pressure from falling profitability, cost-cutting measures, and restructuring of its operations. 

Sources suggest that the burden of meeting tough performance targets has been passed down to junior staff, heightening frustrations that now appear to be boiling over. 

The conflicting narratives official denials on one hand, and credible reports of internal clashes and dismissals on the other point to a widening trust gap inside a bank that has long prided itself on stability and professionalism

Ultimate Uganda