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Citizen Weekly

Sunday 19 April 2015

New faces take charge of Egerton University Sacco

The troubled Egerton University Savings and Credit Co-operative Society is now a beehive activity after members unanimously kicked out the embattled Kepha Orina from their Sacco leadership.
 Also replaced was the vice-chairperson Samuel Owidi, a lecturer at Laikipia University. Orina is human resource personnel.
Led by the one-time chairman of the Sacco Job Kipkeput, members said  the  Sacco has  the opportunity to redeem itself  from the mismanagement of Orina who was under the protection of a county co-operative commissioner and to whom members  appealed to allow them  manage their own business without any further interference.
“All we need is technical advice from the co-operative department of ministry of Industrialisation and Enterprise Development.  Even if it is removing the entire management team, so long as it is within our mandate to do so and the law, do not interfere for financial gain,” Kipkeput said amid cheers from Sacco members.
Keipkeput, a lecturer  at  the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Egerton University urged the  team to correct the  mess occasioned by Orina and his team and that was shielded by the  county co-operative office.
Members said some members had violated the Co-operative Society Act, the Code of Ethics, and Procurement and Disposal Act yet they are still in the office. “We have one Matete whose son was employed under duress and he stole over Sh1.5 million while operating as a teller at Laikipia University branch but he is still in office. He must be removed immediately,” a member claimed and hailed the commissioner for co-operative development and marketing for ordering an inquiry  in the management of the Sacco under the leadership of Orina.
Members thanked the vice-Chancellor of Egerton of University for his timely intervention by writing to the commissioner for co-operatives demanding intervention and inquiry. “We thank the vice-chancellor but he must deal with corrupt co-operative officers and other officials some who are in the integrity office at the university committee to benefit themselves at the expense of members,” he said.
They recalled the last annual general meeting saying it was because the county co-operative officers wanted to hijack the proceedings to protect Orina and his team but all did not go well for them to achieve their interests.
Kipkeput urged members from the teaching fraternity not to shy away from contesting for positions in the management of the Sacco. “The reasons why Egerton University Workers Housing Co-o-operative Society is doing well and achieving its objectives is because of members of the teaching fraternity with good motive are in leadership of the co-operative society,” he continued.
Members said they are not against being supervised by the co-operative officer at any level since it is their role, “but they must be sincere and true to the spirit of the law and be impartial. This is what we have seen in the past eight months”.
They urged the ministry to investigate co-operative officers at the county level saying they have caused the mess at the Egerton University Sacco.

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