By Fredrick Odiero
Migori County’s Department of Cooperatives has now embarked on a major sensitization and capacity building programme for sector members and officials in order to strengthen the sector.
According to area Director of Cooperatives Justus Nyangwecha, the move is aimed at revitalizing dormant cooperatives and further strengthening active ones.
Nyangwecha told Sacco Review that out of the 300 plus cooperatives in the county, almost half are dormant.
He said they will train office bearers and members in a bid to make the societies more active.
Nyangwecha said the trainings will target Society officials and members with a view to revamping them.
He said many Saccos are bedeviled by poor management and embezzlement of members’ cash, and further aggravated by ignorance among members.
The official said the other major problem which has been afflicting them has been shortage of workers.
“We have now employed one staff per Ward to address the endemic problem,” he added.
He encouraged more people to join cooperative societies since their interest rates are friendlier compared to banks.
Nyangwecha said most active Societies are those based on the mining, tobacco and fishing industries.
Active cooperatives in Migori are 152, which constitutes 46 per cent; while dormant ones are 173, an alarming 54 per cent.
He blamed this on the Covid-19 pandemic as most of them are yet to fully recover.
