IG Sacco’s digital push unlocks wider access in landmark move

The giant Invest and Grow (IG) Sacco in Kakamega County has completed its series of education and training sessions for members in style, after holding the final session via a Zoho meeting to reach a wider audience.

The recent countrywide Zoho meeting, held on the 28th, marked the culmination of a vigorous and well-organised series of meetings conducted across all electoral areas within the county. These were aimed at enhancing financial literacy and strengthening members’ understanding of investment, cooperative operations and savings.

The final training session was held virtually to reach a broader membership base across the board. The shift to an online format reflects a growing trend among institutions to embrace digital platforms as the easiest and most convenient way of improving service delivery, while widening and boosting participation among cooperative members.

Sacco officials embraced the virtual approach, noting that it made the session more inclusive and convenient, with many members participating and following proceedings from the comfort of their homes or workplaces.

The education programme is a vital component of the movement’s strategy for member engagement, aimed at equipping members with the knowledge needed to make sound financial decisions.

The programme builds on previous sessions covering personal financial management, investment opportunities and Sacco services.

According to the Sacco’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Vuhya, well-planned and continuous member education is a key pillar for the growth, education and stability of savings and credit cooperatives, as it promotes a strong savings culture and prudent financial planning.

He hailed the online session, noting that it not only brought together key players nationally but also provided a platform for interaction, learning and feedback.

Vuhya added that the Sacco has recently increased its investment in digital transformation, signalling a shift towards more flexible and technology-driven operations.

“This is part of the Sacco’s efforts to enhance its investment in digital platforms in response to the rapid global changes. Digital literacy is the way forward, and we encourage our members to fully embrace it, as it is quickly becoming the new norm,” he said.

Through virtual connectivity, the session enabled members to learn, seek clarification and receive updates on Sacco products and services, as well as enquire about institutional performance.

Member education remains a strong pillar for the Sacco’s growth, and management is optimistic that it will continue to benefit members.

During earlier education forums across various electoral areas in Kakamega County, there was a strong push to recruit new members, as the Sacco prides itself on being among the top-performing institutions in the country.

As it commenced its 2026 education programme, IG Sacco maintained strong performance, recording an asset base of KSh 16 billion by the end of last year.

In a speech read to members during the 2026 education, training and information programme, it was noted that members would enjoy more benefits once the Cooperative Societies Act and the Sacco By-laws 2024 are enacted.

The Sacco further assured members that ongoing amendments, which have been underway since 2005, are likely to be completed next year (2027), enabling members to align with the new business framework.

“The Sacco sincerely appreciates your continued support and patronage, which has enabled us to achieve steady performance. We are aligning our by-laws to serve you even better,” the statement read.

To remain relevant and stable, in line with its strategic plan, the Sacco has advanced plans to digitise all lending platforms, both BOSA and FOSA, in the near future.

This complements the existing digital loan products: E-FOSA, E-loan, E-salary and pension advance, and E-dividend advance.

Digitisation of one short-term loan in both BOSA and FOSA is currently underway, following the streamlining of e-guarantorship and the credit scoring matrix.

As at 31st December 2025, asset growth rose to KSh 16.306 billion, representing an 11.2 per cent increase from the previous year. Income grew to KSh 2.281 billion in 2025 from KSh 1.999 billion in 2024, a 14 per cent rise.

The loan portfolio increased to KSh 14.602 billion from KSh 12.628 billion in 2024, marking a 15.6 per cent growth.

Other performance gains included non-withdrawable deposits rising to KSh 8.221 billion in 2025 from KSh 7.394 billion in 2024, an increase of 11.1 per cent.

New membership rose from 1,325 to 2,219, while salary earners increased to 18,971 from 15,931 in 2024.

With 28,917 members, IG Sacco has over 18,000 FOSA salary earners and aims to recruit more, supported by a wide range of FOSA-aligned products, including E-loan, E-FOSA and empowerment loans.

The chairman noted that the Sacco’s assets have grown steadily through consistent contributions to share capital and monthly subscriptions to non-withdrawable deposits, in line with its strategic plan.

“The Sacco attributes its membership growth to aggressive marketing in schools across Tiriki, Mumias, Butere, Lurambi, Ikolomani, Kabras, Vihiga and Emuhaya, where newly employed teachers, including junior secondary teachers, were recruited,” said Keya.

The report further noted that increased recruitment supports the Sacco’s strategic goal of achieving annual membership growth of 10 per cent.

On savings, the Sacco has registered 29,399 savers, including 27,199 Akiba savings subscribers, 1,467 Nyota Ndogo savers and 733 holiday savers.

With more members embracing these savings products, they stand to benefit from annual interest and access to the Akiba loan product.

On credit performance and digital lending, credit disbursement reached KSh 12.438 billion, a 20 per cent increase from 2024.

Investment-based loans grew by 12 per cent, while income-based loans rose by 28 per cent, driven by increased uptake of digital loan products such as E-loan and E-FOSA.

“We appreciate all members who patronised our products and services. We encourage continued use of Sacco credit facilities to finance investment projects that can generate alternative income,” he said.

The Sacco’s elections and by-elections are scheduled for 14th February 2026. Tiriki, Mumias, Butere and Lurambi electoral areas will elect directors, while Kakamega County A will elect a supervisory committee member.

Chief Executive Officer Peter Vuhyah also commended outgoing chairman Kennedy Keya for his dedicated service, which has seen the Sacco achieve significant growth.

“As we wish our chairman well, we urge the incoming team to strengthen our cooperative foundation and steer IG Sacco to the next level, as outlined in our 2023–2027 strategic plan,” said Vuhyah.