Women-led SACCOs rise in Luo Nyanza as Eliud Owalo Foundation champions women’s empowerment

By Patrick Amimo, Bondo, Siaya County

In a move to economically empower women and strengthen grassroots enterprise, the Eliud Owalo Foundation, in partnership with the State Department for Cooperatives, convened a women-focused workshop in Bondo Town on Saturday. The event brought together over 65 Women SACCO leaders from all 30 wards of Siaya County under the unifying theme: “SACCO Governance for Growth.”

The workshop reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to transforming informal women’s groups into sustainable, fully registered SACCOs, creating a powerful model for grassroots-led economic development.

During the one-day training, participants were taken through critical elements of SACCO governance and cooperative best practices. Topics included the fundamentals of cooperative formation, legal compliance, financial management, member mobilization, and sustainable business models. Special attention was paid to international cooperative trends and their adaptability to the Kenyan rural economy, particularly in the context of women-led initiatives.

Speaking at the event, Rosemary Ngesa, Chairperson of Bondo Women Enterprises SACCO and convenor of the training, underscored the importance of such capacity-building forums.

“This training introduces us to the benefits of belonging to a cooperative society. Cooperatives pool resources from members, which are then saved.  Through those savings, women can borrow up to three times their contribution. This is economic empowerment. And when you empower a woman in any society, you are developing that society,” she said.

The workshop was facilitated by officials from the State Department for Cooperatives, including Senior Deputy Commissioner Ann Mutinda and Assistant Deputy Commissioner Peter Okul, alongside Siaya-based Cooperative Officers Martin Wanjala and Catherine Amondi.

In his remarks, Peter Okul lauded the Eliud Owalo Foundation for bridging the gap between grassroots women's groups and institutional support.

“Mr. Eliud Owalo personally requested our department to assist in empowering women’s groups in Luo Nyanza. While the region has historically contributed to the growth of Kenya’s cooperative movement, today it contributes less than two percent of national cooperative turnover. That’s a gap we must close,” Mr. Okul said.

“The potential here is immense. Whether it’s Beach Management Units or rural women groups, cooperatives are the vehicle that can unlock sustainable prosperity,” he added.

Mr. Okul noted that of Kenya’s over 32,000 registered cooperatives, SACCOs account for nearly 75%, yet Nyanza remains underrepresented in revenue contribution, making empowerment and sensitization efforts critical.  

For many of the participants, the training was more than a workshop.

Millicent Oduor Olamba from Gem, who previously contested in the 2022 general elections, spoke of the challenges women face accessing start-up capital.

“When I campaigned across Siaya county, I saw firsthand how women struggle just to raise money for small businesses like kiosks. When the Eliud Owalo Foundation came to empower women, we embraced it fully. These SACCOs will give women the economic voice they’ve lacked for too long,” Ms. Oduor said.

Other notable women SACCO leaders present included Millicent Ogonda (Ugunja), Benta Owuor (Ugenya), Selphine Oyugi (Rarieda), Mildred Ochieng (Alego Usonga), and Mildred Ochieng, Chairperson of Wamama na Maendeleo CBO Siaya County.

Ms. Mildred Ochieng, Chairperson of Wamama na Maendeleo, commended the Foundation for playing a significant role in formalizing and supporting women groups in the county's six sub-counties.

“The Foundation has guided us from being informal savings groups to running structured, registered SACCOs. That’s the kind of transformation that lasts," Ms. Ochieng noted.

Beyond the training, the Eliud Owalo Foundation reaffirmed its long-term commitment to linking women-led SACCOs with strategic networks, public-private partnerships, and access to national and global markets. 

In line with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the Foundation’s efforts fit with national goals of fostering inclusive, people-driven economic growth. By tapping into the cooperative model, which has long served as a pillar of rural economic development in Kenya, the initiative is unlocking the collective strength of women to drive local economies forward.  

The Foundation is currently supporting the registration and strengthening of over 150 women-led cooperatives.