By Kiptanui Rutto
Thamani Sacco has come a long
way and has supported its members
to upgrade their living standards,
majority of them being farmers.
Its CEO, Rose Kithinji said the Society,
formerly Nithi Tea Growers Sacco
Ltd was registered in November 1987
with the mandate to mobilize member’s
savings and ensuring that they access
credit. The Sacco’s area of operation is
Tharaka Nithi County and the neighbouring
counties.
“The Society operated Back Office
activity with four employees until September
2000 when it opened Front Office
(FOSA) service and increased the
employees to 18 (eighteen) members
of staff, and it changed its common
bond from being a tea growers’ to a
public entity in order to allow people
from other agricultural undertakings
and business enterprises to join as
members,” she said.
Speaking to Sacco Review,
Kithinji said the Sacco was first licensed
by SASRA in October 2011.
“To date the Sacco has 30 members
of staff, seven Board members and
three Supervisory Committee members
drawn from all the Tharaka Nithi
County Electoral Zones,” she said.
With its head office in Chuka
Town in Tharaka Nithi County, the
CEO noted that they have a fully operational
branch in Chogoria Town,
and Marima Town.
“I have been working for the Sacco
since 1990 when I came in as a general
clerk but operated everything including
record keeping, member registration and
marketing attending to over 2000 members.
I have enjoyed a cordial relationship
with my team and, believe with this
relationship, we will prosper,” the CEO
observed.
She said since she was appointed
to the apex in 2011 when Sasra came
in, the Sacco has had made substantial
progress.
“At Thamani Sacco we value all our
members hence we ensure they receive
the best service ever. We have two key
departments; Front Office Service Activity
(FOSA) and Back Office Service
Activity (BOSA). All our members can
now access the Sacco ATM services in
all the 47 counties,” the CEO said.
She said Thamani Sacco Ltd offers a
variety of products to its members since
they have products and services for all,
and called on more people to join the
Sacco.
“I have worked on our website which
now hosts all our products and services,
member registration forms and all the
society information that is important to
the members as well as potential ones. It
is regularly up-dated and members can
get detailed information without necessarily
visiting the society offices. This
also gives the members an opportunity
to learn about our Sacco online hence
saving time and money,” she said.
Kithinji said that the Sacco computerized
it’s operations in year 2004. To
be sure of the right vendor in the market,
they visited other Sacco’s for bench
marking thus giving the opportunity to
technologically.
“Member registration has risen from
6,000 in 2011 to 18,000 in 2015 whereby
8,300 are account holders while the
rest are shareholders. We are set to recruit
civil servants as we have got the
required documentation.” she said.
Other developments are training of
its board members in partnership with
Kenya Institute of Management on leadership
and accounts.
She said though she faces some challenges
as a woman, she is strong enough
to handle them. “I thank the Board members
for their understanding on handling
official matters. I have strong attachment
to them and even to members that
I know most of them by their names, the
level of income and have seen most of
them grow,” she said.
She said time management is a factor
and as a woman, she ensures that while
not in the office she spent time with her
family.
On future plans, Kithinji said they
are set to open branches across the
County since the three existing ones are
do not serve its members adequately.
They are set to invest more on the lower
zone of the County since the upper zone
has been kept safe.
“We are planning to spread our
wings to other towns within the County,
especially the lower zone. We have realized
that our members are increasing
day by day and thus the need to spread,”
Kithinji said.
She added that they are set to develop
products tailor-made for the youth
in order to get attract them to join the
Sacco.
Madam Kithinji called on women
across the country to work hard and
achieve their dreams since everything is
possible.
Thamani Sacco has been a regular
winner of Best Managed Rural Sacco
during Ushirika Days in the country and
that shows that the Sacco has high hopes
of retaining the award this year among
other awards.
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