NCBA has today hosted its annual SACCO Banking Customer Empowerment Forum at Serena Hotel, Nairobi. The forum brought together leaders across Kenya’s cooperative movement to address governance, sustainability and innovation in the SACCO sector.
This is the third NCBA SACCO Empowerment Series, an ongoing initiative designed to equip SACCO leaders with insights to strengthen their institutions. Previous editions have tackled topics such as Growing Membership Among Gen Z and Navigating Cybersecurity. This year, the spotlight turned to Governance.
The event featured discussions on governance, digitalisation, and risk management and offered SACCO leaders practical insights for transforming in pace with shifting regulatory landscapes and mitigating operational risks.
The SACCO sector continues to play a critical role in Kenya’s financial inclusion journey, boasting over 6 million members and over Ksh. 1 trillion in assets. However, governance and accountability gaps remain a concern, with recent reports from the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) revealing that SACCOs lose over Ksh. 3 billion annually due to fraud, poor oversight, and weak internal controls.
“SACCOs are not just financial institutions—they are engines of community empowerment and economic resilience,” said Co-operatives Commissioner, Ministry of Co-operatives transformation and MSME Development, David Obonyo. “As a Ministry, we are committed to working hand in hand with financial institutions like NCBA to create a thriving, transparent and technology-driven SACCO ecosystem. Through strengthened governance, access to capital, and digital, we can ensure our SACCOs remain ethical, competitive, and future-ready.” The Commissioner was was representing the Cabinet Secretart for Co-operatives & MSME Development at the event.
Presiding over the event, NCBA’s Group Managing Director, John Gachora, emphasised the crucial role SACCOs play in the economy and the importance of governance and innovation in ensuring business continuity.
“NCBA’s customer obsession strategy is rooted in proactive engagement, human-centered design and tailored solutions that meet customers where they are. In the SACCO space, this means deep listening, co-creating products with SACCO leaders, and ensuring we deliver tools that enhance operational efficiency, member value, and long-term resilience. We believe that empowering SACCOs to serve their members better is not just a business priority — it is a national development goal.”
NCBA has a suite of SACCO solutions including core banking systems, payment integrations, digital lending platforms, and training programs focused on governance and digital transformation.