CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONS
Mr.Ben Chepkechir, Board Chairman, Takes Us Inside one of Kenya’s Top-Performing Sacco: A 60-Year Journey of Transformation.
The ocean does not forget its first tide. Neither, it seems, does Ports DT Sacco. In 60 years, it has uplifted people, inspired happiness, optimism and hope.
Founded in 1966 when Kenya’s cooperative movement was still finding its bearings, the Society celebrates its Diamond Jubilee this year: sixty unbroken years of charting a course toward financial dignity for ordinary working people. Six decades on, the vessel hasn’t drifted. If anything, it has grown into something its founders could only have dreamed of: a national financial powerhouse with an asset base exceeding Ksh 12.4 billion.
“Uplifting People isn’t just a mantra; it is what defines us. We live it,” says the Sacco Board of Directors Chairman Mr Ben Chepkechir, speaking exclusively to Co-op News.
His words carry the quiet confidence of a man who has watched an institution honour its promise across generations. Measured. Deliberate. Certain.
The Sacco is both a lender and a ladder.
This is not coincidence. It is a commitment by the Sacco anchored on caring, equity and consistency values.
Mr Chepkechir notes that credit at Ports DT Sacco is never merely a commercial transaction. It is a collaborative tool: the support leverage that enables a member to purchase their first commercial asset, secure affordable funding during critical family seasons, or build an economic legacy that outlasts them. No predatory lending. No impossible terms. Just a Sacco that listens, and responds.
“For over six decades, Ports DT Sacco has been a primary engine for our members’ life milestones, helping them educate their children, build their family homes, and establish lasting economic legacies,” he says.
Every member, the Chairman states, climbs higher and stands stronger.
Widening Reach
When Ports DT Sacco opened its common bond, something shifted. Growth accelerated. New members came aboard. New needs emerged. This has led Ports DT Sacco to transition into a national financial powerhouse driven by bold, visionary decisions, offering diversified financial solutions to meet the needs of all.
Today, the Society maintains a robust regional presence, from Voi and Likoni, Mombasa and Nairobi to Kisumu and Malaba. Different latitudes, same standard of care. The founding mission to strengthen the socio-economic well-being of members through prudent management and innovative products and services has remained the fixed star by which every branch navigates.
“Ports DT Sacco offers highly tailored, diverse products and services that serve our members through every stage of life, from ambitious youth establishing their first enterprises to retirees safeguarding their lifework,” says Mr Chepkechir.
As one of the most highly capitalized Saccos in the country, the Society has the financial muscle to disburse loans on demand, cutting through the red tape that has historically barred ordinary Kenyans from affordable credit.
The Sacco has embraced a comprehensive technological transformation too. Access to working capital is now instant for members via mobile app and USSD code. This makes Sacco banking fast, secure, and dignified.
Behind its impressive growth over the years is a governance framework built for the long haul.
The Board of Directors has made ethics, accountability and transparency non-negotiable, ensuring every operation adheres to SASRA’s guidelines and applicable regulatory policies and laws. Internal controls, risk management and financial reporting integrity are not aspirational -they are operational.
“We have established a comprehensive system of internal controls and risk management to safeguard assets and support sound decision-making,” Mr Chepkechir says.
It is, in effect, the kind of institutional discipline that allows trust to compound decade after decade.
Despite its achievements, the Chairman makes it clear, they are not resting on their laurels.
By 2031, Ports DT Sacco has set its sights on an asset base exceeding Ksh 30 billion and a membership of over 60,000 in Kenya and the Diaspora. It is an ambitious target. The Society is building for it deliberately.
Technology is at the centre of that push. The Sacco has embraced digital transformation to serve a younger demographic: members who expect real-time control over their finances and will not wait for an early morning queue. The next generation is not an afterthought. It is the destination.
“We are member-centric, future-ready and committed to our members’ prosperity and incorporating member feedback into everything we do,” says Mr Chepkechir.
CSR
Prosperity, Ports DT Sacco believes, cannot be privately held. Hence, the Sacco is also supporting communities.
In 2025, the Society directed its Corporate Social Responsibility efforts toward education (through a scholarship programme), targeted donations for social equity, and environmental conservation. The Sacco is a bridge-builder, bringing communities together for a peaceful world.
“As a Board, we want our legacy to be not only about rapid institutional growth but the member-centric financial services we offer to uplift lives,” states Mr Chepkechir.
Sixty years in, as the tide keeps rising, Ports DT Sacco continues uplifting people.
“As a Board, we want our legacy to be not only about rapid institutional growth but the member-centric financial services we offer to uplift lives.” ~ Mr Ben Chepkechir, Chairman.
