The International Labour Organization (ILO) has trained boards of management from nine coffee cooperative societies in Kisii on cooperative governance, leadership, and child labour prevention.
The training, which is part of the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Africa (ACCEL Africa) project, was facilitated by cooperative officers and trainers from Kisii who completed a two-week ILO-supported Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in March this year.
Speaking during the training at a Kisii hotel, the National Project Officer for ACCEL Project Duncan Chando said the five-days training had equipped the cooperative boards with governance, accountability and transparency skills, and the integration of child labour prevention into cooperative operations and policies.
“The ILO strengthens cooperatives because they improve incomes, promote decent working conditions, and embed accountability at the community level. Strong cooperatives are essential for building transparent, responsible and child-labour-free supply chains,” noted Chando.
The Project Officer pointed out that the training had incorporated internationally recognised ILO tools including Think.COOP, Start.COOP, and My.COOP, to strengthen cooperative governance and improve economic resilience for smallholder producers.
He noted the trained facilitators will cascade the knowledge and tools to cooperative leadership structures across the county to strengthen governance systems.
Chando lauded the Kisii County Government for the continued partnership with ILO, saying it had contributed to promoting decent work and achieving child-labor-free coffee and tea supply chains.
Kisii County Deputy Director for Cooperatives, Bernard Ochieng said the transfer of knowledge by the officers across the county will ensure that child labour prevention is embedded in policies and management practices.
The participants welcomed the initiative, noting that effective cooperative leadership is central to improving farmer livelihoods and protecting children in coffee-growing communities.
The Chairperson Nyambunde Farmers’ Cooperative Society Stephen Obure noted the training had underscored the important role that cooperative leaders play in protecting children and supporting farming families.
“Strong governance and proper management systems will help us improve member trust, increase incomes, and ensure children remain in school,” noted Obure.
Similarly, the Nyamarambe Farmers’ Cooperative Society Chairlady Emelda Kausi said the training was an eye-opener adding learnt various forms of child labour in the coffee sector.
Kausi added the ILO tools would assist in integrating child labour prevention in cooperative policies, member sensitization programmes, and day-to-day leadership practices.
This training aligns with Kenya’s national commitments to eliminate child labour and uphold fundamental principles and rights at work, while supporting global efforts towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, which calls for the elimination of all forms of child labour.
Notably, data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that 8.5 percent or an equivalent of 1.3 million children are engaged in child labour which primarily occurs in informal production, particularly in the agriculture sector.
By Mercy Osongo and Jane Naitore
