Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (Saccos) in Kisii county have been told to adopt technology in order to attract and retain young members.
Speaking during the Wakenya Pamoja Sacco’s Annual Delegates Meeting at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre on the outskirts of Kisii town, the Kisii County Executive for Agriculture Elijah Obwori (pictured) said that Saccos need to modernize their operations to remain competitive and relevant among the youth who prefer digital platforms for their farming activities.
“Young people have embraced farming and need access to loans to purchase farm equipment and expand their agricultural businesses; thus, I am encouraging Saccos to use technology to simplify such processes,” Obwori noted.
He lauded Wakenya Pamoja Sacco for financing farmers in the coffee, bananas, avocados and pyrethrum value chains, noting that the support had led to the expansion of pyrethrum growing in the county.
His counterpart from the Department of Environment, Cyrus Nyabicha who also attended the event underscored the critical role that Saccos play in providing farmers with access to loans at low interest rates.
Nyabicha encouraged the residents to take advantage of the credit institutions and save in order to earn higher interests and improve their livelihoods.
Wakenya Pamoja Sacco Society Limited Chief Executive Officer Isaac Omwenga thanked the county government for creating an enabling environment for the Sacco to operate.
The CEO noted they had introduced new products in the market to strengthen the institution, attract young people and increase Sacco’s membership to 150,000 next year.
“We have come up with certain products that are very enticing to the youth and I hope that as we go forward, through education and other meetings, we shall have them included in our Sacco,” stressed Omwenga.
By Mercy Osongo
