Section 2. Interpretation Section 2(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— "agency" means an entity contracted by an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") and approved by the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") or sub-contracted by such entity to provide the services of the institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") on behalf of the institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") , in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") : Provided that where such entity is a co-operative society, prior approval to provide the services shall be sought from the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority established under the SACCO Societies Act ( Cap. 490B ); "assigned capital" has the meaning given to it in section 7 (4); "bank" means a company which carries on, or proposes to carry on, banking business in Kenya but does not include the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") ; "banking business" means— (a) the accepting from members of the public ("individuals, partnerships, corporate bodies and trustees or managers of trusts, pension and provident funds or other similar funds;") of money on deposit repayable on demand or at the expiry of a fixed period or after notice; (b) the accepting from members of the public ("individuals, partnerships, corporate bodies and trustees or managers of trusts, pension and provident funds or other similar funds;") of money on current account ("an account maintained by a bank for and in the name of, or in a name designated by, a customer of the bank into which money is paid by or for the benefit of such customer and on which cheques and other bills of exchange may be drawn by, and transfers and other banking transactions made on the instructions of, the customer;") and payment on and acceptance of cheques; (c) the employing of money held on deposit or on current account ("an account maintained by a bank for and in the name of, or in a name designated by, a customer of the bank into which money is paid by or for the benefit of such customer and on which cheques and other bills of exchange may be drawn by, and transfers and other banking transactions made on the instructions of, the customer;") , or any part of the money, by lending, investment or in any other manner for the account and at the risk of the person so employing the money; and (d) such other business activity as the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") may prescribe; "banking group" means a licensed institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") and its subsidiaries, non-operating holding companies and subsidiaries of its non-operating holding companies; “beneficial owner” has the meaning assigned to it under the Companies Act ( Cap. 486 ); "Board" means the Deposit Protection Fund Board established by section 36 ; "branch" means any permanent premises, other than its head office, at which an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") transacts business in or outside Kenya; "Cabinet Secretary" means the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for matters relating to Finance; "capital" means paid-up share capital or, in the case of an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") incorporated outside Kenya, its assigned capital ; "competent authority" means any of the bodies set out in the Third Schedule; "convertible currency" means currency which is freely negotiable and transferable in international exchange markets at exchange rate margins consistent with the Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund; "co-ordinator" means the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") ; "core capital" means permanent shareholders’ equity in the form of issued and fully paid-up shares of common stock, or in the case of foreign incorporated banks, of the assigned capital , plus all disclosed reserves ("all reserves created or increased through share premiums, retained profits (after deducting all expenses, provisions, taxation and dividends) and general reserves if such disclosed reserves are permanent and unencumbered and thus able to absorb losses;") , less goodwill or any other intangible assets; "current account" means an account maintained by a bank ("a company which carries on, or proposes to carry on,banking business in Kenya but does not include the Central Bank;") for and in the name of, or in a name designated by, a customer of the bank ("a company which carries on, or proposes to carry on,banking business in Kenya but does not include the Central Bank;") into which money is paid by or for the benefit of such customer and on which cheques and other bills of exchange may be drawn by, and transfers and other banking transactions made on the instructions of, the customer; "disclosed reserves" includes all reserves created or increased through share premiums, retained profits (after deducting all expenses, provisions, taxation and dividends) and general reserves if such disclosed reserves are permanent and unencumbered and thus able to absorb losses; "financial business" means— (a) the accepting from members of the public ("individuals, partnerships, corporate bodies and trustees or managers of trusts, pension and provident funds or other similar funds;") of money on deposit repayable on demand or at the expiry of a fixed period or after notice; and (b) the employing of money held on deposit or any part of the money, by lending, investment or in any other manner for the account and at the risk of the person so employing the money; "financial institution" means a company, other than a bank ("a company which carries on, or proposes to carry on,banking business in Kenya but does not include the Central Bank;") , which carries on, or proposes to carry on, financial business and includes any other company which the Cabinet Secretary ("the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for matters relating to Finance;") may, by notice in the Gazette , declare to be a financial institution for the purposes of this Act; "financial year" means the financial year prescribed in section 20A ; "group" means a non-operating holding company , its subsidiaries and all associated companies of the parent or its subsidiaries; "institution" means a bank ("a company which carries on, or proposes to carry on,banking business in Kenya but does not include the Central Bank;") or financial institution ("a company, other than a bank, which carries on, or proposes to carry on,financial business and includes any other company which the Cabinet Secretary may, by notice in the, declare to be a financial institution for the purposes of this Act;") or a mortgage finance company ; "land" includes freehold and leasehold land in Kenya and all buildings and permanent improvements thereon; "licence" means a licence granted under section 5 ; "members of the public" means individuals, partnerships, corporate bodies and trustees or managers of trusts, pension and provident funds or other similar funds; "mortgage finance company" means a company (other than a financial institution ("a company, other than a bank, which carries on, or proposes to carry on,financial business and includes any other company which the Cabinet Secretary may, by notice in the, declare to be a financial institution for the purposes of this Act;") ) which accepts from the members of the public ("individuals, partnerships, corporate bodies and trustees or managers of trusts, pension and provident funds or other similar funds;") , money— (a) on deposit repayable on demand or at the expiry of a fixed period or after notice; or (b) on current account ("an account maintained by a bank for and in the name of, or in a name designated by, a customer of the bank into which money is paid by or for the benefit of such customer and on which cheques and other bills of exchange may be drawn by, and transfers and other banking transactions made on the instructions of, the customer;") and payment on and acceptance of cheques, and is established for the purpose of employing such money in accordance with section 15 ; "non-operating holding company" means a company, other than the institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") , which has approved control of an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") and whose activities are limited to holding investments in subsidiaries, holding properties used by group ("a non-operating holding company, its subsidiaries and all associated companies of the parent or its subsidiaries;") members; raising funds to invest in, or to provide support to, subsidiaries, raising funds to conduct its own limited activities, investing funds on behalf of the group ("a non-operating holding company, its subsidiaries and all associated companies of the parent or its subsidiaries;") , conducting the banking activities required for its own limited functions, and providing administrative, risk management and financial services to support the efficient operation of the group ("a non-operating holding company, its subsidiaries and all associated companies of the parent or its subsidiaries;") ; "officer" , in relation to an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") , means a Director or any other person, by whatever name or title he may be called or described, who carries out or is empowered to carry out functions relating to the overall direction in Kenya of that institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") or takes part in the general management thereof in Kenya; "place of business" means any premises, other than the head office, including a branch ("any permanent premises, other than its head office, at which an institution transacts business in or outside Kenya;") , an agency ("an entity contracted by an institution and approved by the Central Bank or sub-contracted by such entity to provide the services of the institution on behalf of the institution, in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Bank:") or a mobile unit, or such other premises as may, from time to time, be prescribed by the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") , at which an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") transacts banking or financial business and which is open to the public; "public entity" means the Government, a local authority or a public body declared by the Cabinet Secretary ("the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for matters relating to Finance;") to be a public entity for the purposes of this Act; "representative office" means an office established in Kenya under the provision of Part IX; “significant shareholder” means a person including a beneficial owner , other than the Government or public entity ("the Government, a local authority or a public body declared by the Cabinet Secretary to be a public entity for the purposes of this Act;") , who holds, directly or indirectly, or otherwise has a beneficial interest amounting to five per cent or more of the share capital ("paid-up share capital or, in the case of an institution incorporated outside Kenya, its assigned capital;") of an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") or a corporate entity seeking to become an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") ; "significantly undercapitalized" in relation to an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") , means that the institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") holds less than-fifty percent of the capital ("paid-up share capital or, in the case of an institution incorporated outside Kenya, its assigned capital;") requirements prescribed under section 18 ; "supplementary capital" means general provisions which are held against future and presently unidentified losses that are freely available to meet losses which subsequently materialize, and revaluation reserves on banking premises which arise periodically from independent valuation of such premises, and any other form of capital ("paid-up share capital or, in the case of an institution incorporated outside Kenya, its assigned capital;") as may be determined from time to time by the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") ; "the Central Bank" means the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ( Cap. 491 ); "total capital" means the total sum of core capital ("permanent shareholders’ equity in the form of issued and fully paid-up shares of common stock, or in the case of foreign incorporated banks, of the assigned capital, plus all disclosed reserves, less goodwill or any other intangible assets;") and supplementary capital ("general provisions which are held against future and presently unidentified losses that are freely available to meet losses which subsequently materialize, and revaluation reserves on banking premises which arise periodically from independent valuation of such premises, and any other form of capital as may be determined from time to time by the Central Bank;") ; "total deposit liabilities" means the total deposits in or outside Kenya in any institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") which are repayable on demand or after a fixed period or after notice; "undercapitalized bank" means an institution ("a bank or financial institution or a mortgage finance company;") that does not fully comply with the capital ("paid-up share capital or, in the case of an institution incorporated outside Kenya, its assigned capital;") requirements prescribed in section 18 ; "unimpaired reserves" means capital ("paid-up share capital or, in the case of an institution incorporated outside Kenya, its assigned capital;") and revenue reserves not subject to any charge or other encumbrance or option or liable to reduction by payment of dividend or otherwise. Section 2(2)(a) its holding company or its subsidiary; Section 2(2)(a)(i) its holding company or its subsidiary; Section 2(2)(a)(ii) a subsidiary of its holding company; Section 2(2)(a)(iii) a holding company of its subsidiary; Section 2(2)(a)(iv) its non-operating holding company as its subsidiary; Section 2(2)(a)(v) a subsidiary of a non-operating holding company ; Section 2(2)(a)(vi) any person who controls the company or body corporate whether alone or with his associates or with its associates; Section 2(2)(b) any member of his family; and Section 2(2)(b)(i) any member of his family; and Section 2(2)(b)(ii) any company or other body corporate controlled directly or indirectly, by him whether alone or with his associates; Section 2(2)(b)(iii) deleted by ActNo. 57 of 2012, s. 38(b)(iii), Section 2(3)(a) the ability to influence, whether directly or indirectly, the composition of the board of directors of a company or any other body corporate; Section 2(3)(b) holding, directly or indirectly, whether personally or through a holding company or companies or subsidiaries thereof, or in any otherway, an aggregate of twenty per centum or more of the voting power of a company or body corporate, whether alone or with associates or with other associates of the company or body corporate; or Section 2(3)(c) as may be determined by the Central Bank ("the Central Bank of Kenya established by the Central Bank of Kenya Act ();") , where a person has the ability to exercise a dominant influence over the management or policies of a company or body corporate on the basis of an agreement or by any other means, regardless of the amount of formal ownership or voting rights.