Corporate Social Responsibility, Bank Size and Customer Trust amongst Commercial Banks in Kenya

Despite the commercial banks’ significant position in Kenya's ever growing economy there is limited study on the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on consumer trust in the commercial banking industry. This study therefore sought to explore the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on customer trust in the commercial banking sector of Kenya. With focus on commercial banks, this research delved into how community investment, sustainable initiatives, stakeholder engagement, social welfare, and bank size influence customer trust. This study was anchored on Stakeholder Theory. A correlational research design was employed, targeting all the 39 commercial banks in Kenya. The analysis was centered on the banks as units of analysis, while observations were drawn from both customers and bank managers. The study used stratified sampling to select 384 bank customers population exceeding 1 million. Data was gathered through structured questionnaires and Key Informant Interview (KII), ensuring reliability and validity through Cronbach’s Alpha test and content/construct validity testing. Analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics, including regression analysis and ANOVA. The results were presented on tables, charts and bars. The findings revealed a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.605 indicating that the CSR activities used in this study explain 60.5% of the variation in customer trust, suggesting a strong relationship between CSR and customer trust. The regression analysis demonstrated significant positive effects, with community investment (β = 0.354, p = 0.000), sustainable initiatives (β = 0.235, p = 0.003), stakeholder engagement (β = 0.275, p = 0.000), and social welfare (β = 0.329, p = 0.000) all positively influencing customer trust. Based on the findings, the study concludes that corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, including community investment, sustainable initiatives, stakeholder engagement, and social welfare, significantly influence customer trust among commercial banks in Kenya. In view of the findings, the study recommends that commercial banks in Kenya should continue to invest in CSR activities as a strategic approach to enhance customer trust and loyalty. Policymakers should create supportive regulatory frameworks that encourage banks to adopt comprehensive CSR practices. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Community investment, Sustainable initiatives, Stakeholder engagement, Social welfare, Bank Size, Customer trust.