Cooperative Societies in Kenya

The vibrant and dynamic cooperative movement in Kenya – the strongest in Africa – is a key player in the economy, controlling about 43 per cent of Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP). The Cooperative Societies in Kenya employs more than 300,000 people, besides providing opportunities for self-employment to many more. Savings and credit societies (Saccos), the fastest growing sub-sector in the movement, have mobilised savings of more than Kshs 230 billion. A number of activities are being implemented in pursuit of achieving the Kenya Vision 2030 objectives and its core mandate of developing the cooperative sub-sector into an efficient and competitive business. The main focus of the sub sector’s activities is on facilitating cooperatives to play an important role addressing the challenges of low productivity, inappropriate land use systems, poor marketing systems, limited access to credit by farmers and small businesses, and low value-addition to agricultural commodities and other services.

The primary policies and strategies implemented by the sub sector are geared towards:

1. Streamlining and strengthening the management of Cooperative societies;
2. Establishing and strengthening the SACCO regulatory framework;
3. Improving market access and marketing ef?ciency by cooperatives;
4. Promoting viable cooperatives investments; and
5. Encouraging cooperatives to enter into mutual partnerships with other agencies for additional resources.