By Stephen Makabila
A new Co-operative policy is finally set to be forwarded to the Cabinet for approval after over one year of waiting.
According to the State Department of Co-operatives, the policy in its final draft form will be forwarded to the Cabinet once it is inaugurated by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Cabinet Secretaries are undergoing the vetting process by the National Assembly.
If approved, the policy will be forwarded to the National Assembly where it will become a Sessional Paper.
Co-operatives Principal Secretary (PS) Ali Ismail and Commissioner of Co-operatives Mary Mungai have all along promised the new policy will clear any grey areas on how the National Government and County governments inter-relate especially after co-operative services were devolved.
A Draft Policy seen by Sacco Review, dated June 4, 2017, focuses on the theme of “Promoting Co-operative Enterprises for Industrialization” and presents a policy framework aimed at accelerating the growth of Kenya’s Co-operative sector in a dynamic and competitive global environment.
The policy paper replaces Sessional Paper No. 6 of 1997, on Co-operatives in a Liberalized Economic Environment.
The Policy highlights the historical background of the Co-operative sector worldwide and more specifically in Kenya and explains why it remains an important contributor towards industrialization and economic development in the country as expounded in Vision 2030.
The Policy paper explains the four-tier structure of the Kenyan Co-operative sector, which is comprised of Primary, Secondary, Federation and Apex organizations and their respective roles.
“This policy aims at reinforcing the catalytic role of Government in co-operatives in promoting comparative advantage of the co-operative enterprises in dealing with poverty, wealth and employment creation in Kenya. Drawing from both the National and Sectoral policies guiding co-operative enterprise development in Kenya, the policy envisages that co-operative enterprises will increasingly play a major role in the realization of flagship projects,” reads its summary in part.
Fine-tuning of the Draft was done during a retreat in Mombasa late last year, after Stakeholders, including the Council of Governors (COG) had endorsed it and made their input.
