Government to prioritize good corporate governance
- Good corporate governance within the cooperative movement will enhance integrity in the critical sector, which is one of the economy’s integral pillars.
Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises Wycliffe Oparanya has said the government has prioritized improving corporate governance in the cooperative movement to spur growth in the sector.
The CS observed that good governance within the cooperative movement would also enhance integrity in the critical sector, which is one of the economy’s integral pillars.
Speaking at a Nanyuki town hotel when he closed a two-day retreat for senior managers and section heads on Ministerial performance review, Oparanya also directed that both the state departments of Cooperatives and that of Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) should finalize their charters and strategic plans before the end of the financial year.
“We also need to carry out an impact assessment both in the cooperatives and MSMEs, which should be an ongoing process, and that’s why we require new regulations, policies and legal frameworks, which are instruments that help us achieve our goals,” he said.
He also announced that the government was in the process of reviewing the Saccos Act of 2008 to enhance good governance in the cooperative movement. ” We have already engaged a team of experts to work on it, and it has passed the National Assembly and is now in the Senate,” Oparanya added.
The CS’s remarks come in the wake of the recent loss of Sacco’s savings amounting to Sh. 1.8 billion to the Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (KUSCCO), the Saccos’ umbrella body early this year.
He also announced the repeal of the coffee bill, as the Ministry had identified it as a source of economic recovery for the country.
“We have selected coffee because it’s gold; this year the crop is enjoying very good prices. That’s why coffee reforms are critical. I am happy the Kenya Coffee Planters Union (KPCU) has picked it up, and with also the new coffee bill in place, we expect positive changes,” he added.
The CS added that the country was keen on regaining the pole position as the number one coffee-exporting nation in Africa after having slipped to fifth in the last few decades.
Deputy Chief of Staff in the Executive Office of the President for Performance and Delivery Management Eliud Owalo underscored the critical role of midterm reviews in the implementation of five-year strategic plans.
“These reviews are essential for helping ministries refine priorities, recalibrate strategies, and ensure high-impact delivery over the remaining two and a half years of the current planning cycle,” Owalo said
He further emphasized the need to institutionalize performance contracting at all levels of Ministries and State Corporations down to the individual scorecard.
“This will embed a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across the board,” Owalo added.
The Deputy Chief of Staff also reiterated that the government was in the process of developing a robust reward management framework that links recognition and incentives directly to performance outcomes.
Present at the retreat was, Principal Secretary for MSMEs Susan Mangeni, Principal Secretary for Cooperatives Patrick Kilemi, Principal Administrative Secretary; Joshua Mwiranga, Public Service Performance Management Unit; Amos Mariba, Secretary Administration, Ministry of Cooperatives; Henry Rithaa, CEO, Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA), among others.
