Residents of Meru county have been urged to fully support the newly Amended Meru County Act in order to ensure the stability and progress of the cooperative movements in the region.
The Meru County Cooperative Forum chairman Emphantus Majau, Meru County Cooperative Forum CEOs (Technical team) chairman Kenneth Gitonga and the Meru County Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives Chief Officer Sandi Mugambi said the amended act has many positive provisions which are beneficial to the members.
Speaking at Kamundi hall in Meru town during the Meru County Cooperative Forum Annual General Meeting, the trio said the amended act will see many societies cut on cost from the newly introduced acts.
Mugambi said the act provides an Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism clause that will lessen the court backlog where many cases piled up in courts without being resolved.
He said the amended act allows them to resolve any outstanding dispute amicably before it gets to the court thus avoiding wastage of money and time.
“We realized that a lot of money and time is being wasted in court. Before going to court, the amended act allows for arbitration to be done by the society and the cooperative office. We want to resolve any outstanding dispute before it reaches the court. That is why we are urging the members to fully embrace and support it,” said Mugambi.
He said the amended Meru County Act will be operational in two months after governor Isaac Mutuma signed it last year.
Mugambi said the act also allows members to reelect and retain leaders who have performed exemplary well despite their time having expired.
“Members were opposed to the 2014 Meru County Act because it had some session which they did not like. It barred leaders who had performed exemplary well from contesting once their term expired. They can now vie following the enactment of the amended act,” said the official.
He said the newly amended act will pave way for the deserving leaders to be elected as long as they are members of their respective societies and are producing the set amount of milk, tea, coffee, avocado among others.
He said the act provides for a stronger reporting system because the national and county governments will be directly involved in the supervision of the operations of the cooperatives and the forum.
“These stringent rules will see more honesty, transparency, credibility and accountability in the running of the cooperatives,” stated Mugambi.
He said cooperatives are the main economic drivers of Meru County and called on more residents to join them.
The forum chairperson lauded the registered societies for their outstanding unity and promised that the forum will continue uniting the different societies and unions in lobbying and advocating for the members’ rights.
“The forum is composed of 463 cooperative movements from the county. We lobby and advocate for various economic sectors in the county including farmers growing miraa, coffee and dairy farmers among others,” noted the chairman.
Majau called on members to embrace unity in order to succeed noting that they will fight for everything together in order to benefit fully.
He cited the revival of the Meru Afya Millers as an example of their achievement owing to the prevailing unity.
The Chief Executive Officer Meru Dairy Union and the CEO’s chairman said the forum is composed of 463 cooperative movements which have united in a bid to chat a common agenda for all of them.
Gitonga said they will lobby the national government to reduce taxes in the cooperatives in order for the members to benefit.
He said they will safeguard the interests of all the members by intervening and offering solutions to any entity that encounters any challenges.
“I urge the residents to embrace the saving culture, increase milk, tea and coffee production in order to reap the maximum benefits from their labour. I applaud the unity within the forum and promise to continue offering support to each other when they are challenges. The recent revamp of the Afya Maize Millers that saw the various cooperatives coming together to pool resources is the best example of our unity. The miller is set to reclaim its former glory,” said Gitonga.
He advised the newly elected leaders to serve with honesty, transparency, fairness and accountability in order to reap maximum benefits from their work.
He said a similar forum will be held with invited national leaders in the near future to discuss how to raise production in the coffee and milk sectors.
The CEO said the County government is registering new cooperatives in the maize and potato growing sectors to uplift production in all the regions.
Gitonga further promised Meru farmers that going forward, the cooperatives would deliver better results.
Trade, Tourism and Cooperative CECM Rev. Carol Kaberia said the county government continues to prioritize the cooperative movement as a cornerstone of inclusive economic development, recognizing its role in improving livelihoods and fostering prosperity.
Rev. Kaberia said Meru is the mother of the cooperative movement noting it leads in the sector with the economy thriving well due to the cooperatives.
She said the forum offers a vital platform for dialogue, governance review and strategic planning.
The CECM said the cooperatives are the link between the common man and prosperity because majority can easily access and join them.
“Meru is the mother of the cooperative movement because it leads in the sector. The economy in Meru County is thriving well because many have embraced the cooperative movement. The county government will continue to give priority to the cooperative movement as a cornerstone of inclusive economic development, recognizing its role in improving livelihoods and fostering prosperity. The cooperatives are the link between the common man and prosperity because majority can easily access and join them,” said CECM Rev. Kaberia.
Kaberia said about 80 percent of the Meru residents have already joined the Sacco’s explaining that those who can’t join the banks inevitably enrolls in them.
She called on the residents to take advantage of the cooperatives and borrow loans from the Sacco’s in a bid to invest and advance their businesses prudently.
Kaberia called on the cooperatives leaders and board of management to shun divisive politics and to instead embrace unity in order to progress.
She said divisive politics will inevitably lead to division and collapse of cooperatives with the common man being the hardest hit from any negative outcome.
“You can’t progress without unity. Divisive politics will inevitably lead to division and eventual collapse of the cooperatives. Let us strengthen them through unity. We shall work harmoniously with the cooperative movements in order to ensure people get value for their money,” said the CECM.
She said the governor has already signed the miraa bill which they have turned to a popular bill by translating it to Kimeru language before it is presented to the County Assembly of Meru.
