By Asa Maina
Housing co-operatives have been urged to focus and broaden to outreach individual members so that they can join the corporate ownership of houses and improve the quality of their homes.
The Chairman Nyeri County International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) celebrations committee Newton Nderitu said high interest charged on mortgages have made it difficult for many people to own houses.
Nderitu who is also the chairman of Nyeri Co-operative Union.
He called on co-operatives to step up manufacturing and value addition of their produce to improve farmers’ income.
“I appreciate that our co-operative Societies are involved in manufacturing and value addition of their produce. Coffee and milk marketing societies have taken a leading role towards that direction,” he said.
He urged the Government to scale up the subsidies on fertilizers, seeds and farm inputs.
Nderitu called on co-operators to also promote domestic consumption of local produce such as coffee which is consumed at only one per cent.
On the Governments Big Four agenda, he said the cooperative movement has a major role to play in enabling the achievement of the four goals.
He said co-operatives have the financial muscle and strong grassroots structures at their disposal.
The four goals are food security, affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and manufacturing.
“I also urge our Government to facilitate our co-operatives societies to carry out their mandate to the best of their ability through creation of Yearly Training and Education Revolving fund,” said Mwangi.
