By SHABAN MAKOKHA
May 5, 2026| Western Kenya has launched an ambitious financial mobilization plan in decades—a regional cooperative Sacco that leaders are calling a historic economic reset aimed at ending cycles of poverty and igniting self-driven prosperity from within.
Christened TUSHIRIKIANE DT SACCO, the federated cooperative—the first of its scale in the region—unites farmers, traders, teachers, bodaboda operators, youth groups, professionals, small manufacturers, and welfare associations across four counties under one mission: mobilize local savings, expand affordable credit, and finance transformative development.
Launched during a packed regional leaders’ forum at the home of former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, the Sacco promises to break the region’s long-standing dependence on external capital. “We cannot keep waiting for help from outside. Western must build Western. This Sacco is our vehicle of liberation,” Oparanya declared to thunderous applause.
Oparanya has rallied counties to deepen a saving culture and strengthen household livelihoods, targeting 10,000 members before President William Ruto’s official launch—and a ceiling of 250,000 members overall. “This Sacco will be the engine of economic revival for this region,” he said.
When fully implemented, the Sacco is expected to reduce reliance on predatory mobile loans, support youth and small businesses with startup capital, empower women-run micro-enterprises through affordable credit, and inject stability into small family incomes through structured savings.
Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) CEO David Sandagi noted that Western Kenya has one of the highest informal saving rates in the country—but most of it remains unorganized. “This Sacco will convert scattered efforts into structured wealth. It is an economic equalizer,” he said.
Safaricom has partnered to digitize operations, with Territory Manager Elias Omuse promising a secure app for automated savings, digital loan appraisal, and fraud prevention—urging strict governance safeguards to avoid pitfalls that have crippled other cooperatives.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera hailed the move as a return to dignity. “We have been treated as high-risk borrowers. Finally, we will have a home where our money works for us,” he said. Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali added that the Cooperatives Bill, 2024, set for parliamentary debate next week, will strengthen governance and protect member savings.
Oparanya issued a firm warning: “The moment politics enters this Sacco, it dies. This institution belongs to the people—not to individuals or parties. Its survival depends on transparency.”
With an interim committee tasked to file formal registration within two weeks, and Western Region Commissioner Macharia Irungu directing chiefs to lead nationwide sensitization drives, the Sacco is poised to rewrite Western Kenya’s economic story—shifting it from consumption to investment, from dependency to self-driven growth.
If successful, the initiative could become one of the largest regional cooperative models in Kenya, setting a blueprint for grassroots-driven development—and proving that when a region unites around a shared saving culture, prosperity becomes not just a dream, but a destination.