Nakuru County joined the rest of the country in commemorating the 104th Ushirika Day celebrations, reaffirming the critical role of cooperatives in driving economic empowerment, promoting social cohesion and creating sustainable livelihoods.
This year’s celebrations were held under the theme “Cooperatives for a Peaceful World,“highlighting the movement’s contribution to fostering inclusive development and peaceful communities.
The main celebrations brought together cooperative societies from Nakuru East, Nakuru West, Njoro and Rongai sub-counties at Nakuru Day Secondary School, while similar events were simultaneously held in Molo and Bahati sub-counties to ensure wider participation across the county.
The celebrations began with a colorful procession from Nyayo Gardens to the venue, led by the County Chief Officer for Cooperatives, Hon. Kibet Kurgat, who officially flagged off the event. Speaking during the occasion, Kurgat praised cooperatives for their continued contribution to improving household incomes, creating employment opportunities and strengthening social and economic bonds within communities.
He noted that cooperative societies remain one of the most effective models for empowering individuals through collective action, enabling members to access affordable credit, markets, agricultural inputs and investment opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to obtain individually.
Delivering the keynote address, Chief Guest Veronica Kahura described cooperatives as powerful institutions for building peaceful and prosperous societies. She emphasized that by embracing democratic leadership, shared ownership and equitable distribution of benefits, cooperatives continue to reduce poverty, minimize inequality and promote unity among members.
She urged cooperative leaders to uphold transparency, accountability and good governance to ensure the movement remains resilient and responsive to the changing economic environment.
The County Government also reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the cooperative sector through strategic investments and supportive policies. Director of Cooperatives Josephine Ngandu highlighted ongoing initiatives aimed at enhancing the capacity and competitiveness of cooperative societies across Nakuru County.
She said the county is focusing on value addition, continuous capacity building, and expanding access to affordable financing to help cooperatives grow into sustainable enterprises capable of creating wealth for their members.
Ngandu revealed that the Nakuru County Cooperative Revolving Fund has so far disbursed Sh57.2 million to cooperative societies, offering loans at an affordable interest rate of 6 percent per annum. The revolving fund has enabled many cooperatives to expand their operations, invest in productive ventures, and improve service delivery to their members.
She noted that affordable financing remains a key pillar in supporting cooperative growth, particularly for farmer cooperatives, savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), women groups, and youth enterprises seeking to increase productivity and enhance value addition.
The celebrations also recognized outstanding performance among cooperative societies operating within the county.Cosmopolitan SACCO emerged as the overall winner after demonstrating excellence in governance, financial growth, regulatory compliance, innovation and member service.
County officials noted that recognizing high-performing cooperatives encourages healthy competition while inspiring other societies to adopt best practices in management and service delivery.
The International Day of Cooperatives, commonly known in Kenya as Ushirika Day, is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July. The day recognizes the significant contribution of cooperative societies to economic development, poverty reduction, financial inclusion, food security and social transformation. Kenya boasts one of Africa’s strongest cooperative movements, with millions of citizens deriving their livelihoods directly or indirectly from cooperative enterprises across sectors such as agriculture, housing, banking, transport, manufacturing and trade.
As Nakuru County continues investing in the cooperative sector, leaders expressed optimism that stronger and better-managed cooperatives will accelerate inclusive economic growth, improve livelihoods and contribute to the realization of sustainable development while promoting peaceful and resilient communities.
Author: Moureen Koech
Moureen Koech is a passionate Digital Journalist, an adept Agribusiness Writer with a keen eye for news and an impactful story-teller,whose stories provide key value to Agripreneurs and stakeholders in the Agricultural sector
