According to recent data from the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA), the gender composition of leadership in regulated SACCOs continues to evolve, with women making notable gains in senior management positions even as their representation among Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) slightly declined in the year ending 2024.
According to the SACCO supervision annual report, 2024, out of 355 regulated SACCOs, male CEOs accounted for 66.67 percent in 2024, up from 65.50 percent in 2023. Female CEOs, on the other hand, dropped marginally to 33.33 per cent from 34.50 per cent the previous year.
Despite the decline, SASRA noted that the proportion of female CEOs still falls within the constitutionally recommended threshold, though affirmative action remains necessary to achieve parity.
At the segmental level, Non‑Withdrawable Deposit‑Taking (NWDT) SACCOs recorded the highest representation of female CEOs at 43.21 per cent in 2024, compared to Deposit‑Taking (DT) SACCOs, where women accounted for only 24.29 per cent. However, NWDT SACCOs also experienced a decline, falling from 46.11 per cent in 2023 to 43.21 per cent in 2024.
Beyond the CEO’s office, SASRA highlighted encouraging trends in other senior management roles such as heads of internal audit, ICT, credit, finance, operations, and compliance. In aggregate, male managers accounted for 56.28 per cent in 2024, down from 58.25 percent in 2023. Female representation rose to 43.72 percent from 41.75 percent, signaling that more women are being entrusted with leadership responsibilities across the industry.
Segmental analysis showed NWDT SACCOs leading the way in gender inclusivity, with women holding 53.33 percent of senior management positions in 2024, up from 50.62 percent in 2023. Male representation in the segment dropped to 46.67 percent from 49.38 percent. In contrast, DT SACCOs remained male‑dominated, with men accounting for 60.02 percent of senior management staff in 2024, though this was a slight decline from 61.62 percent in 2023.
The overall three‑year trend, SASRA observed, points to a progressive narrowing of the gender gap in SACCO leadership. While men still dominate CEO positions, women are steadily gaining ground in senior management roles, particularly within NWDT SACCOs.
By Masaki Enock
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