Nyeri County’s cooperative movement has grown tremendously over the years, recording outstanding achievements in economic growth.
According to the County Governor, Dr. Mutahi Kahiga, in the past year alone, 16 new cooperatives have been registered, raising the total number of active cooperatives to 215 and supporting more than 500,000 members.
“This is a testament to the strength and resilience of our people and to the power of the cooperative model in driving inclusive economic growth,” he said. The governor spoke during the county Ushirika Day celebrations.
The county incubates the first-ever Health Worker Cooperative in Kenya, as it continues diversifying and modernizing its cooperative landscape.
The governor said in response to the growing need for climate-smart and resilient cooperatives, the county, through the Department of Water, Environment, and Climate Change, and with the support of the FLLoCA Program, has championed climate-resilient interventions by supporting four coffee factories with solar dryers, solar light masts, water harvesting systems, and tree-planting initiatives.
The solar dryers have improved coffee quality through faster and cleaner drying, reduced post-harvest losses, and enabled farmers to cope with unpredictable weather.
“The National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) has supported 12 Farmer Producer Organizations with inclusion grants worth Kshs4.1 million to improve their office infrastructure and operations. Over Ksh30 million has also been issued to fund enterprise development plans aimed at enhancing value addition and agribusiness activities,” Dr. Mutahi said.
Through NAVCDP, the County has also supported the formation and strengthening of 14 Saccos with Financial Inclusion Grants amounting to Kshs. 10.99 million.
The governor encouraged youths to join cooperatives.
