Anti-Money Laundering Training and Profitability of Commercial Banks in Kenya

The commercial banks' profitability has experienced fluctuations over the past decade. The study sought to determine the effect of anti-money laundering training on the profitability of commercial banks in Kenya. The research employed an explanatory research design. The targeted population comprised 35 regulated commercial banks as at December 31, 2021. The study period was eight (8) years (2014 to 2021). Respondents were chosen through purposive sampling. Primary data was gathered using structured questionnaires, while secondary data was derived from the annual banking supervision report from the Central Bank of Kenya. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The findings revealed that anti-money laundering (AML) training had a positive and significant effect on the profitability of commercial banks (β = 0.222, p-value = 0.005 < 0.05). The study concludes that employing and retaining employees with adequate anti-money laundering skills improves the proactiveness of banks in identifying and preventing potential money laundering activities. Commercial banks should institutionalize structured AML training programs by implementing both on-the-job and off-the-job together with assessments to validate employee understanding and competency.