Seated comfortably outside her shop, Edith Kimani 65 years old narrates her journey working with various saccos to the current state being in a single sacco.
She flashbacks pensively at the moment when she first joined her first sacco 23 years ago, Biashara Sacco, in Nyeri.
Edith first joined her sacco as a small-scale farmer at a time in her life when she was facing tough hurdles with her children’s school fee. Her small business then was struggling thus the money earned from farming hardly sustained her and her family needs.
However, Edith was introduced to the sacco by a friend, and since a majority of the community members were registering with the sacco, she decided to become part and parcel of the said sacco in the hope of a better tomorrow.
Registration of members was free making it easier for her. She then immediately started saving with the sacco starting with an initial saving of Ksh. 500. However after several years of savings, she took her first loan of ksh100,000 which she bought some sacks of potatoes and planted and used the remaining to set-up a general shop adjacent to her house.
The profits incurred from the farm produce were used to repay the loan while she also strived to pay school fees for her two sons. She later bought a piece of land in her village and improved her home before relocating to Mombasa ten years later.
The hardworking lady later joined Mombasa Port Sacco as a member through her initial group of 12 members by the name Ujira Mwema Women Group. The group which has been in existence for 2 years now enjoys the favorable dividends provided by the sacco at the end of each year.
She showers praises to the Deposit-Taking Sacco which has maintained high dividend rates to its members. The Sacco, opened its common bond in the year 2010 and now has diverse membership coming from salaried and non-salaried individuals, investment groups (Chamas), corporates, businesses,and diaspora.
She further states that her group plans to take a loan from the sacco so as to gear their project into existence.
Edith further encourages individuals especially women to register with the saccos owing to its benefits to the members.
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