Complacency kills Saccos; vigilance sustains their future

Complacency is not loud. It does not announce its arrival with crisis or catastrophe. It creeps in quietly, disguised as success, comfort, and routine. For Saccos, complacency is especially dangerous because it often hides behind impressive numbers, glowing awards, and years of hard-won trust. Yet history is unforgiving: organizations rarely collapse because they failed once;…

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Kenya’s cooperative sector in 2025: Progress, promise and peril

The year 2025 will be remembered as a defining chapter for Kenya’s cooperative sector, one marked by ambition, innovation, and uncomfortable truths. It was a year when Saccos demonstrated their enduring relevance in a rapidly digitizing economy, while simultaneously confronting one of the most serious governance crises in the history of the movement. Together, these…

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Acting SASRA Chief Executive Officer David Amiani Sandagi-File Photo

CEOs and CFOs to sign SACCOs audited accounts as SASRA tightens accountability

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Chief Finance Officer or Finance Manager (CFO or FM) of Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs) must now sign audited financial statements alongside authorized board signatories, a move aimed at cementing personal and collective responsibility for financial reporting in the cooperative sector. The Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) announced the…

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Farmers shift to family and digital lenders as bank, SACCO credit drops despite CBK easing

Kenyan farmers are increasingly ditching banks and SACCOs in favour of borrowing from family, friends and digital lending platforms, even as conventional borrowing costs fall. The latest Agriculture Sector Survey by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) shows a clear pivot toward informal and tech‑enabled credit, underscoring changing preferences and risk dynamics in agricultural financing….

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Kenyan Sacco mergers: a high-stakes gamble or strategic imperative?

In September 2025, the Kenyan government dropped a regulatory bombshell on the cooperative sector: small Savings and Credit Cooperatives (Saccos) with assets under Sh100 million must merge with larger entities or face dissolution. This directive, ostensibly aimed at bolstering financial stability and operational resilience in a sector plagued by inefficiencies and vulnerabilities, has ignited a…

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Mogo’s Nyanza regional manager, Margaret Waithaka addressing the media after the event-Photo|Fredrick Odiero

Kisumu to enforce mandatory SACCO membership for all 20,000 bodaboda riders

More than 20,000 boda boda riders in Kisumu County will from next year be required to register with SACCOs operating within their respective wards, in a move aimed at restoring order and improving safety in the sector. The Kisumu County Boda Boda Association chairman, Jacob Ogamba, said no rider will be allowed to operate without…

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A collage image of some of Kenya's top Saccos

SACCO industry defies economic pressures, records robust Q3 growth

According to the latest Sacco Industry Quarterly Statistical and Soundness Report for Quarter Three (Q3)- September 2025, released by the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA), the regulated Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) industry has maintained strong growth, showcasing notable improvements across key performance indicators. This comprehensive report highlights the sector’s resilience, with total assets reaching…

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Land, school fees and agriculture loans drive SACCO lending surge in Q3 of 2025

Data from the SACCO Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) shows that SACCOs channelled most of their lending toward land purchases, school fees and agriculture in the three months to September 2025, making the three sectors the biggest beneficiaries of credit demand among members. This accounted for more than 65 per cent of all loans issued by…

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CS Co-operatives Wycliffe Oparanya ( c) PS Patrick Kilemi and KUSCCO chair David Mategwa during Annual Leaders Conference 2025 organised by KUSCCO./Photo courtesy

KUSCCO begins Ksh6.2 Billion refunds owed to SACCOs

The Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives (KUSCCO) has officially begun disbursing refunds to SACCOs, marking the first major step in settling the Ksh6.2 billion it owes its members. The long-awaited repayments follow a financial crisis at the union that was attributed to mismanagement and fraudulent activities under previous leadership. Co-operatives and MSMEs Cabinet…

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