Photos from 2015 Safaricom Sacco AGM

               Artistic Impression of the 1billion Safaricom Sacco complex 

        Safaricom Sacco Chairman Vincent Opiyo Addresses the Members  

                                   A section of guests at the AGM

                                          Sacco members following the proceedings
                                        

                                          Representative from Police Sacco gives a speech

                                          Safiricom Sacco CEO Mr. George Ochiri

                                         CEO Mr. George Ochiri consults with the MC

                                       Chief Guest George Wachuiri delivers a key note

                    Mr. George Wachuiri demonstrate a point to the members
                                           

   From left Vincent Opiyo, George Wachuiri and representatives from SASRA

(PHOTOS BY RONALD AGAK)

Ademba exits SASRA after a splendid Performance

Though Mr. Carilus Ademba’s tenure as the chief executive officer at Sacco Regulatory Authority (SASRA) is soon ending, the sacco sub-sector in Kenya has a lot to celebrate. Under his leadership the once struggling sacco sector has undergone a great transformation and development pitching it as one of the most successful and vibrant sacco sectors in Africa.  Under his, watch the sacco sector has been able to attain an annual growth of 17 percent.

With his vast experience in Savings and Credit Co-operative, the regulatory body has been able to come up with the most effective and applicable policies and regulations that have translated to the enormous growth of the sector. Ademba’s tenure at SASRA expires in April 2015.

As the chief executive officer, Ademba has ensured that the newly formed regulator allows deposit-taking saccos offering front office services reapply to the authority and continue with business. In a bid to ensure the saccos abide by the new licensing regime, SASRA has ensured these Saccos reorganize their books of accounts, rework their business plans and their policies, before renewing their licences

 Under Ademba, the newly formed regulator has ensured that deposit-taking Saccos offering front office services reapply to the authority to be allowed to continue with the business. SASRA has ensured these Saccos reorganize their books of accounts, rework their business plans and their policies, before renewing their licences.

Though still in the process of being set up, SASRA has already initiated an inter-lending facility for Saccos. The platform once operational will allow Saccos to lend to each other in a similar manner like the overnight inter-bank lending facility managed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

The authority has also to set up a Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF) for the sector. This DGF is meant to offer a soft landing spot for deposits if a registered SACCO collapses. Negotiations are ongoing between SASRA and a selection of DGF trustees with an independent consultant engaged as part of a World Bank-funded capacity building project.

For over 11 years Ademba has worked in senior management of key institutions in Kenya's SACCO sector. He served for seven years as Finance Manager of the Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (KUSCCO). Ademba later served for four years in the capacity of a Managing Director of KUSCCO.

At the time he was the Managing Director at KUSCCO, Ademba also doubled up as the Acting Executive Director of the African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA) which he served for two years. He also served in the Task Force that drafted the SASRA Regulations.

Internationally Ademba has represented the nation at the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and the International Cooperative Alliance in Geneva. Currently he is a trustee of African Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA). Ademba is also currently serving in the steering committee of the International Regulators Roundtable as a representative from Africa.

Mr. Carilus Ademba is a graduate of the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the same institution. He has undertaken management training in USA, Japan, Spain, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, Jamaica and Switzerland in disciplines such as Leadership, Financial Management, Corporate Governance, SACCO Regulation and Supervision and Human Resources Management. Ademba pursued accountancy studies up to level 2 of the Certified Public Accountancy course.

Speculation is rife that Ademba could be heading to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA), where Vincent Kimosop has been chief executive in an acting capacity.

Kajiado County Government initiates Water policy drafting process.

Kajiado County government has launched a public participatory process of coming up with water policy for the county. The policy is intended to stipulate the best ways of management and proper utilization of water resource in Kajiado County. County cabinet secretary in charge of ministry of water, Mrs. Nancy Gathaiya said the policy aims at ensuring implementation of public views and regulate the usage of water by the relevant stakeholders within county.

The process that involves public participation through consultative opinion seeking from the citizens of the County is ongoing throughout the five sub counties. The citizens are given the opportunity to articulate the challenges they face on accessibility and usage of water in their regions and eventually come up with their recommendations. Mrs. Nancy Gathaiya said since some residents of Kajiado County are nomadic pastoralists, the water policy will help in ensuring they get water to sustain their activities.

According to Mrs. Gathaiya the policy is intended to outline a frame work on the responsibilities of the stakeholders (The county government, water suppliers and users). The policy draft will be availed to the public through a county consultative meeting for the final amendments to be done before it is taken to the county assembly. The county government is working closely with Kenya Water partnership to ensure the policy meets the required standards on water policy formulation. The executive secretary of Kenya Water partnership, Mr. Richard Mutua said they are working with the county to ensure the policy is aligned to the four international principles of water. He said the ongoing process is important since it will enable the county government to come up with a comprehensive policy that will take into account the needs of the residents of Kajiado County.

Mrs. Gathaiya said they are working on modalities to ensure the growing Kajiado County population gets clean, safe and sufficient water. She added that apart from getting water from Kiserian dam, they working round the clock to ensure they also get water from Ndakaini dam.
The policy making process is ongoing throughout the 47 counties and this comes at a time when the water bill has already gone through the second reading in the national assembly. The water policies from different counties will be harmonized with the water bill to ensure they do not conflict each other.

Knut threatens to move to ILO over North Eastern teachers' standoff

The tussle between The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on North Eastern teachers has taken a new twist with KNUT warning to move to International Labour Centre. KNUT has indicated this in a press release sent to media houses.

“The teachers are ready to take this matter further to International Labour Centre for possible recourse if the TSC continues to intimidate and address labour issues through the media …” Read the statement.
KNUT secretary general Wilson Sossion said that instead of TSC looking for solutions to the teachers’ plight, it has resorted to intimidating them.

Sossion said that is not wise for TSC to cling to right to education for children stipulated under Article 53 of the Constitution without minding the teachers’ right to life. Mr. Sossion added that they will not relent in their bid of fighting for the rights of teachers.
“The affected teachers have sworn not to risk their lives but instead are ready to face the consequences. It is about their lives not their jobs. It is about their wish to see tomorrow alive not to earn.” The statement read in part.

KNUT acknowledged the right of children to education but advanced the need for security of teachers and their families in the North Eastern region.

“In as much as we appreciate and feel heart within our hearts, the plight of the children and their education, we also pause for a moment and share the grief, the emotional torture and life uncertainties these teachers and their families go through. It is time we fairly balance these compelling interests.” Read the statement

KNUT has urged the government to fully integrate the affected teachers in whatever action they have taken to ensure the security of the teachers.
This comes as leaders from North Eastern region led by Majority Leader in the National Assembly, Aden Duale intensified their call for sacking of teachers who have refused to get back to work in the region. In a function attended by the Deputy President William Ruto, Duale said he saw no reason for teachers to boycott working in that region yet there were over 500 non-Muslims civil servants already working in Garissa.

KNUT Bomet branch rebukes DP and Duale over sentiments

Meanwhile KNUT Bomet branch has condemned Aden Duale for what they termed as insulting the union’s national secretary general, Mr. Wilson Sossion. Addressing the media at the union’s offices in Boment, the branch’s executive secretary Joseph Malel Langat expressed their discontent with the sentiments made by the deputy president William Ruto and Aden Duale at a function in Mandera. Ruto had urged teachers who had declined to resume work to get back since the government was already taking the necessary security measures. Duale had rebuked Sossion for being puppet and unreasonable.
“I want to tell Sossion that he is no longer a leader but a puppet. I don’t see the reason why some teachers should not report to their places of work and yet over 500 non-Muslim teachers were busy in classes in Garissa County,” Duale said.

Malel vowed that if the deputy president does not come up with a better solution, they will withdraw their support for URP. The assistant executive secretary Paul Nyolei called upon the president to look into the issue so as to attain sanity.

‘’ We request President Uhuru Kenyatta who has come out to be respectful and concerned on teachers welfare to look into the plea of teachers and authorize TSC to instead employ taechers who are from that region,” Paul Nyolei said

KPCU rekindles hopes for coffee farmers’ Saccos

After coming out of receivership, Kenya planters’cooperative union (KPCU) is rejuvenating its activities to regain its earlier glory in the coffee milling and marketing industry. KPCU has already obtained its milling license and started milling coffee in November 2014. The deputy managing director Mrs. Jacinta Njogu said KPCU has put in place strategies aimed at ensuring the interests of coffee farmers, shareholders and the unions are well catered for. She said they are doing all in their capacity to establish themselves back to the industry.

“From the time we come out of receivership we started by establishing ourselves back into the coffee sector by obtaining our milling license and looking for other partners in the sector. We are also working on a faovourable cash model that will enhance payment of farmers for the coffee they supply,” Mrs. Njogu said

Coffee farmers who were members of KPCU receive this as good news since they will now get value for their coffee. In the previous years after KPCU was put into receivership, most farmers had decided to resort to alternative crops for income while some went ahead to cut down the coffee plants. Mrs. Njogu said they have come up with modalities to motivate and help coffee farmers produce more of the crop.
“We have put in place measures to help coffee farmers acquire farm inputs and extension services in order to boost output. We are currently making payments for coffee beans supplied within two weeks. Apart from motivating the farmers the payment period also helps us clear our debts with the farmers in good time,” said Mrs. Njogu

KPCU faces stiff competition in the coffee milling and marketing sector but Mrs. Njogu says that they have strategies in place to ensure they sail through despite the competition.
“Currently there are about 18 other milling firms that pose competition but we plan to fight off the competition by providing exemplary services and returns to the coffee farmers saccos and also produce the desired quality of coffee,” Njogu said.

KCPU plans to exploit other possibilities of doing contract farming with the coffee farmers to ensure they secure a large number of farmers from their competitors. Njogu also said they are looking into the possibilities of getting new places where coffee can be grown to boost the amount being supplied to the union.

KPCU headquarters in Niarobi. Photo by Ronald Agak
Kenya planters cooperative union is not running these strategies in isolation but have incorporated all the stakeholders to improve on the current situation of the coffee industry. Mrs. Njogu said they are closely working with the government through the ministry of Agriculture, the county governments, farmers’ cooperative societies and other players in coffee sector to rejuvenate the coffee sector in the economy.

“KPCU cannot make it alone in the coffee sector and therefore it is working with all the stakeholders in the sector. Every player has a responsibility to undertake to rejuvenate the coffee sector that has been shrinking. Working together will enable all the players in the coffee sector to attain their dreams,” Njogu added.

Mrs. Njogu called upon Coffee Directorate to formulate policies and regulations that are not counter-productive. She added that the policies and regulations should b be fully implemented to enable the players in the coffee industry carry out their activities productively.
Mrs. Njogu said they are very keen in ensuring KPCU does not run into debts again. After being lifted out of receivership, KPCU has a great task of ensuring transparency in its financial dealings to escape falling back into a similar situation.

KPCU was placed under receivership in October 2009 over a Sh700 million debt and its operations taken over by Consultancy firm, Deloitte on behalf of the debenture holder, the Kenya Commercial Bank. In November 2013, KPCU and KCB made an out of court arrangement to lift the company from receivership and agreed on how to repay its debts it owed the bank, a move that gave hopes to over 700,000 coffee farmers who are shareholders.