LAW AND GROWTH
The cooperative sector is about to undergo a significant transformation as the government is implementing Sessional Paper No. 4 of 2020 on National Cooperative Policy. The main objective of this policy is to promote cooperatives for socio-economic transformation.
According to the Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs, Simon Chelugui, the Cooperatives Bill has received Cabinet approval and has been forwarded to the Attorney General before being presented to Parliament.
The Bill aims to establish the Office of the Commissioner for Cooperative Development at the national level of government and the Office of the County Director for Cooperatives in each county government. The Commissioner for Cooperative Development will be responsible for promoting, registering, and regulating cooperatives and providing for inter-governmental cooperative relations.
The proposed law seeks to establish a legal framework that promotes a sustainable and competitive cooperative sector for socio-economic development in a devolved system of governance. The Bill also aims to develop a framework of good governance and ethical conduct in cooperatives.
The government has also introduced the Coffee Bill, 2023 and the Coffee Policy, which were presented to joint Senate and National Assembly Departmental Committees. The Bill is at its second reading in the Senate. These bills aim to re-energize the growth and development of the coffee sub-sector, particularly in research and market access.
“This Bill will reinstate the Coffee Board of Kenya and the Coffee Research Institute as stand-alone institutions, which is expected to re-energize the growth and development of the coffee sub-sector, especially in the areas of research and market access,” said Mr Chelugui.
Another game-changer is the Sacco Central and Shared Services platform under the Sacco-Central, which has already been operationalized, and more Saccos are joining each day.
