Retirees to be included in IG Sacco operations

Retirees of the giant Invest and Grow (IG Sacco) have been assured that soon they will be actively involved in the Sacco’s operations.

The sentiments were echoed during the West Kabras members’ education programme 2026, where they had requested that they be represented by one of them who would present their issues to the management.

Raising their concerns, the retirees, led by Jomo Injendi and Benson Malovi, said they were willing to push the Sacco’s agenda forward but had no clear platform on how they could do so.

They urged the Sacco to consider them, as they had experience from being long-serving members.

The management, however, assured them that being able to contribute to the forum was already an indication that their involvement was highly valued and that in the near future their wise counsel would be needed to steer the Sacco to immense growth.

“We are equally as many as the active members and we feel we should be engaged more on advice and direction that will encourage active members to continue investing strongly in the Sacco, besides recruiting more members altogether,” said Jomo.

The Chairman of the Supervisory Committee, Justine Mutanyi, noted that their concerns had been captured and would be considered to ensure the cooperative also leverages their wise direction on matters of Sacco growth.

Reading the outgoing chairman’s speech, IG Sacco Treasurer Wycliffe Ngaira appreciated the Sacco members for their continued support and patronage, which has seen it realise steady performance with an asset base of Ksh 16 billion at the end of 2025.

As the Sacco welcomes its new Chairman, Rodgers Waswa, who takes over from Kennedy Keya after completing his tenure, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Vuhya was praised for his leadership and management guidance through the nine directors.

“Through our CEO’s leadership and guidance, the Sacco has achieved improved performance that needs to be enhanced, as it has increased its membership to 2,219 (67.5%) and is on an upward trajectory as far as recruiting more members is concerned,” he said.

The Sacco called on its members to recruit junior secondary school teachers into the movement to keep it vibrant in the next two decades.

With the recruitment of young teachers into the cooperative, it will not only be strengthened but also enable them to enjoy the benefits that come with being members.

Further, the management was hailed for its aggressiveness in marketing in Tiriki, Mumias, Butere, Lurambi, Ikolomani, Vihiga, Emuhaya and Kabras electoral areas, which has seen more new members recruited into the movement.

Members and stakeholders were urged to focus on recruiting more teachers from their various schools to enable the Sacco to achieve its strategic plan membership growth pillar of 10% per annum.

The Sacco also called on its members to patronise the Akiba, Nyota Ndogo and Holiday Savers products, as they were tailored to allow them to enjoy more benefits, including annual interest and Akiba loans.

On credit performance and digital lending, member disbursements increased by 20% due to innovative, member-affordable, centric products and services.

The report states that the utilisation of Sacco credit facilities to finance members’ investments will also offer alternative sources of income.

The IG Sacco human resource, which now stands at 100, is aimed at ensuring that the growing number of members are served to their satisfaction.

The Kabras electoral area director, Richard Shilaro, applauded the members’ education programme, saying it was aimed at highlighting issues affecting them and how they could overcome them.

“These education programmes are important as they address issues affecting members within the Sacco and educate them on how they can fully benefit, and we bring on board professional expertise to take them through various topics,” he said.

He added that the Sacco’s growth was being guided by its 2023–27 strategic plan.

A psychologist at Kakamega General Hospital, Eric Andare, took members through mental health, drug and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS awareness, emotional intelligence and financial stress.

His pension counterpart, Moses Masinde from Huduma Center Kakamega, advised pensioners not to change their pay points, withdraw all their savings, and proceed to marry young wives.

“As pension officers, we are encouraging that you only take home a quarter of your savings and leave three quarters to be paid out as a monthly pension; this will ease mental health,” he said.

He also cautioned pensioners against this year’s digital registration, noting that the exercise was stopped after it was discovered that deceased pensioners were being registered by their siblings.