By Munene Maina.
K-Unity has established strategic partnerships with various organizations aimed at empowering the society and livelihoods of its individual members.
An elite Society based in Kiambu town. K-Unity Sacco is among players collaborating with the Kenya Government in ensuring the Agricultural Sector Development Support Programme (ASDSP) succeeds.
ASDSP aims to support the transformation of Kenya’s Agricultural sector into an innovative, commercially oriented, competitive and modern industry that will reduce poverty levels and improve food security in rural and urban areas. The project also aims make income equitable and increase employment opportunities.
K-Unity in partnership with ASDSP, Kiambu County recently held an agribusiness trade fair at Ndumberi Grounds. The aim of this event was to promote participation and investment by youth and women in agricultural value chains as well as provide linkages with strategic providers and business partners.
K Unity Chairman, John Mbitu and CEO, Simon Njenga said the Society aims to provide an innovative and diversified product menu to its clients through the aggressive marketing campaign strategies.
The Society has adopted a market-driven rather than product-driven approach to understand its customer needs and demands.
Based on its slogan ‘Together We Grow’ K-Unity believes in togetherness and has plans to bring essential financial products and services closer to members. It is presently finalizing plans to set up an agency banking platform and a mobile lending platform in order to provide convinient and efficient services to members.
“We will have agents in the villages and most interior parts so that members can readily access financial services conveniently,” said Njenga. He urged members to enroll in the UNI-CASH mobile banking platform to enable them access funds from anywhere without visiting the banking halls.
K-Unity has partnered with several organizations to transform lives of members.
“We have partnered with Kenya Bio-Gas Programme to assist members’ access bio-digesters and have developed a bio-gas product to enable our customers get loans to purchase the same and pay in monthly instalments for a period of 6-12 months depending on the size of the bio-digester and the price,” said Joseph Ndiritu, K-Unity Marketing Manager. Other partners are designed to enable members acquire chaff cutters, water tanks and saw millers among others.
“Our loan products are affordable and target persons involved in all sectors in the economy. For instance, we have Jijenge Loan product where our customers can save and get loans that is 4 times their savings, repayable at an interest rate of 1% per month on reducing balance,” said Ndiritu.
Due to consistent market research and development, K-Unity has identified what members need and introduced tailor-made products to suit these needs.
K-Unity provides financial products that support viable and sustainable agri-business especially among women and youth groups. The Society ensures members access farm inputs at affordable prices through partnerships it has entered into with dealers.
This Society draws its members from farmers and farm workers, microfinance groups, business persons, traders, schools, churches, hospital, private firms, Civil servants, pensioners’, children as well as women and the youth among others.
Established in 1974 after amalgamation of the then Limuru Marketing Co-operative Union and Kiambu Dairy Marketing Union, Kiambu Unity Finance Cooperative Union Limited has grown from offering savings and credit facilities to Dairy and Pyrethrum Societies within Kiambu County, to K-Unity which is now an national outfit.
Its main pillars include micro-finance, insurance agency, property investment as well as savings and credit (Sacco) business. K-Unity has a well-established investment portfolio in form of buildings, an insurance agency-Mapa Insurance, which has partnered with CIC Insurance to offer a wide variety of insurance products to the public. The agency deals in all polices that include general, medical, motor and investment.
Members and customers are now able to access their accounts through UniCash and VISA branded ATMs. It remains a provider of Sacco, Investment and Insurance services and products and is open to customer feedback.
K-Unity (formerly Kiambu Unity Finance Co-operative Union Ltd) has an asset base of over Sh 2.9 billion with members from Kiambu, Nairobi, Nakuru, Nyandarua and Narok Counties. K-Unity leadership especially in Dairy sector is supported by associating with official societies such as Githunguri , Kabete, Kiambaa, Ndumberi, Limuru, Kiirita and Kikuyu Dairies among others.
The Society manages several properties in Kiambu, Githunguri, Kiriita, Limuru, Wangige and Kikuyu. It also runs Mapa Insurance Agency which has been in operation for over 20 years.
