Kitale: Twenty-five farmers Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) in Trans Nzoia County have formed a union to strengthen access to financing and ensure sustainability of farmer support programmes after the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) ends.
According to Kenya News Agency, Governor George Natembeya announced that the formation of the Trans Nzoia SACCO Union would provide a platform for farmers to mobilise resources and continue accessing financial support beyond the lifespan of the NAVCDP. Speaking during the union’s inaugural general meeting at Westside Hotel in Kitale, Natembeya emphasized that each of the county’s 25 wards had a SACCO which had now come together under the umbrella union.
Natembeya stated, ‘Today is a big day for Trans Nzoia because we have begun a union for the SACCOs under NAVCDP. Every ward in our county has a SACCO and we have 25 SACCOs that have come together to form one union SACCO. All this is to ensure sustainability so that when NAVCDP ends, there is still money for our farmers.’ He added that Sh75 million had been set aside to support the farmers’ SACCO union, with Sh10 million disbursed to the union during the meeting.
The Governor explained that the funding would empower farmers to access resources and invest in alternative agricultural activities while reducing overreliance on maize production. He highlighted that NAVCDP was supporting value chains including poultry, dairy, tomatoes, avocado, and bananas to diversify agricultural production in the county, especially in light of unpredictable weather patterns affecting maize production.
Natembeya noted, ‘As you saw this year, farmers were given quality seeds but it did not rain and the harvest was not as we expected. So we want alternatives for farmers.’ To this end, farmers are also being trained on SACCO management to address challenges associated with leadership and governance in the cooperatives, ensuring they remain proud of their work.
County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives Development, Phanice Khatundi, mentioned that the county government was equipping SACCOs with facilities to enable farmers to access services closer to their homes. She encouraged grassroots farmers to join SACCOs and embrace a saving culture to strengthen the cooperatives beyond the NAVCDP programme.
Khatundi elaborated, ‘We know SACCOs are for savings. We have created this SACCO to help farmers. I want to urge the Governor to ensure farmers have money, which is why SACCOs have been equipped with materials at the grassroots to ensure farmers do not have to go to the bank but can access services where they are.’ She also detailed the Sh75 million allocation to the farmers’ SACCO union, which would be disbursed in three cycles, subject to approvals from the World Bank.
Additionally, Khatundi urged SACCO officials to mobilise more farmers at the grassroots to join the cooperatives, emphasizing that increased membership would strengthen their financial base and sustainability. She also recognized Kiminini SACCO for its strong performance and Nabiswa SACCO as the most improved SACCO in the county.
The NAVCDP targets five priority value chains in Trans Nzoia, including dairy, poultry, avocado, tomatoes, and bananas, as part of efforts to improve farmer incomes, promote diversification, and strengthen agricultural resilience.
