- PS Raymond Omollo links government funding for fishermen’s Saccos to wider membership.
- Fishermen urged to enrol to strengthen savings and improve access to external funding.
- Government pledges training for Sacco leaders to improve financial management and accountability.
Principal Secretary (PS) Dr Raymond Omollo has told fishermen on Lake Victoria that government support for their Saccos will depend on how many of them join. The Saccos he named include those run by Beach Management Units (BMUs) and groups engaged in integrated poultry rearing.
Omollo, who heads the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration, said he asked for the membership numbers of one Sacco and found that few people had registered. With so small a base, he argued, the Ksh 5 million or Ksh 10 million that members are seeking would be hard to justify. Money for a Sacco, he said, should reach everyone in the trade, not a small circle inside it.
The aim, he said, is for the support to reach the thousands of fishermen who earn their living on the lake, not just a few.
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He therefore urged fishermen to enrol, saying larger numbers would make the Sacco stronger and raise its savings. A bigger membership, he added, would also give the society a firmer base from which to attract and manage outside funding.
Omollo also pledged help for the Sacco’s leaders, saying they need training to manage resources better and keep members engaged. He wants any support that reaches the cooperative to go directly towards members’ work in fishing and the other activities that make up the blue economy.
“Whatever support comes into the cooperative is purely dedicated to supporting you in your business,” he said.
By our reporter
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