The Cooperatives in Kitui County have been urged to make use of the local resources to achieve their objective of changing the livelihoods of members.
Speaking during the Ushirika day, on July 5, at the Kitui British American Tobacco (BAT) Grounds, the Kitui County Trade, Industry, Medium and Small-Medium Enterprises, Innovation and Cooperatives Minister Rose Mawia Mutuku said that the County government recognises the cooperative societies as a critical player in socio-economic transformation and wealth creation for the people of Kitui.
She added that currently in the whole of the Kitui County, there are 460 registered cooperative societies. The total membership stands at 146,016 with an asset base of 14.5 billion shillings and a share capital of 1.3 billion shillings which should change the life and make impacts,
The minister who was representing Governor Dr. Julius Makau Malombe at the function said local solutions are needed to solve the local problems.
“Most of our cooperatives are struggling to meet their objectives, we challenge ourselves as cooperators not be reactive but proactive in terms of identification of goods and services for the local regional and global markets, embracing the new thinking of value chain approach and value additions, being engines or catalyst of growth like in the other parts of the country and in the world, coming up with financial products that address the needs of the local market and membership recruitment and shares drive,” the minister added.
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She also challenged cooperators that as they think of the regional, national, and global market for their goods and services, she urged them to challenge the Kitui people to vigorously consume goods and services produced in Kitui “Buy Kitui Build Kitui.
“The Kitui County has potential for many value chain among them the green gram, mangoes, honey, indigenous chicken beef, goat meat, minerals, textile, leather and leather products among others. As a county government, we have grouped the county into six economic zones for ease of identifying investment opportunities and providing a clustered support for effective exploitation of our resources,” she also said.
Mutuku said that the county is committed to supporting cooperatives to grow, give better returns to members and create employment and wealth adding that they undertake to assist cooperatives in skills development, branding, acquisitions of barcodes, participation in trade fairs, improvement of quality and marketing of their products.
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She also revealed that county government has acquired some 1,500 acres of land in the Kanyonyoo Location, Lower Yatta District within the Kitui County to build the County Industrial Park where the cooperatives are expected to play a key role in its operations through aggregation, value addition and processing of their products.
“This centralization of industrial activities will enable different market players to have a close inter-linkages and therefore expanding market access for our cooperatives,” the minister said.
She admitted that county government recognises the cooperative societies as a critical player in socio-economic transformation and wealth creation for the people of Kitui County.
During the function the best cooperative societies in the county were also awarded with trophies and certificates. The Univision Sacco won the award for conducting the first annual general meeting in 2025 in Kitui County, the second award going to the Bestrock Sacco and the third being won by the Kinathi Sacco.
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The best urban sacco awards went to the Univision Sacco and the Seu Sacco respectively. And the best rural sacco award was won by the Bestrock Sacco with the best women sacco award going to the Kimuto Women Sacco.
The best boda boda sacco award was won by the Kwa Vonza Boda Boda Sacco as Kinathi Sacco won the best matatu sacco in loaning award. The Kitui Yatta B2 Ranching Cooperative Society was awarded as the best ranching cooperative society in the county.
The other best cooperative societies that were awarded during the function included the Kitui Teachers Housing Cooperative Society Limited (the best housing cooperative society award), Kinatwa Sacco (the best improved sacco in governance award), Mukali Beekeepers and Green grams Women Sacco (the second best improved sacco in governance award), the Univision Sacco (the best urban sacco in market penetration award), the Mwiyiki Farmers Cooperative Society Limited (most vibrant sacco award) and the Banana Consumers Women Sacco (the most resilient sacco award).
By BONIFACE MULU
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