Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, Wycliffe Oparanya, has urged cooperative movement stakeholders to come up with actionable ideas to propel the cooperative sector forward.
Oparanya, who was addressing the cooperative movement stakeholders during the 3rd Annual Cooperative Movement Stakeholders’ Forum held from 18th to 22nd November 2024 in Naivasha, said the leaders should share ideas for advancing the cooperative sector, which continues to serve as a cornerstone of socio-economic development in Kenya.
The forum brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—board members, CEOs, technical officers, SASRA officials, county representatives, development partners, and members of academia, who, the CS said, foster a unique platform for meaningful dialogue and innovation.
The agenda for the forum was comprehensive, addressing critical areas such as revisiting structural frameworks to enhance cooperative effectiveness and sustainability, engaging with sub-sector policies and government input on cooperative value chains, assessing performance insights from the SASRA report, and also setting lobbying and advocacy priorities, with a focus on the Cooperatives Bill currently before Parliament.
The CS noted that despite many cooperatives upholding their values, a few have failed to adhere to good governance principles, resulting in financial losses and eroding public trust.
“This tarnishes the reputation of the entire movement, overshadowing the remarkable efforts of cooperatives committed to improving their members’ livelihoods,” Oparanya said.
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To address these challenges, the government is developing the “Mwongozo for Cooperatives” framework.
To support cooperatives, the ministry is finalizing the Cooperatives Bill No. 7 of 2024, which enhances governance and legal collaboration to promote transparency and accountability, as well as training and capacity-building manuals, in partnership with the Cooperative University of Kenya, to enhance leadership skills among cooperative members.
He noted that good governance remains pivotal to sustaining the cooperative movement’s integrity and credibility between national and county governments.
It is also amending the Sacco Societies Act to establish a Central Liquidity Facility and Shared Services Platform and operationalizing the Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF) to protect members’ savings.
These reforms aim to create an enabling regulatory environment that fosters growth, sustainability, and resilience within the cooperative sector.
By Obegi Malack
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