Uasin Gishu youth have been urged to join cooperative movements to enable the government to support them with ease.
Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno said the cooperatives will help them pull their resources together for collective and individual growth.
He urged cooperative societies to adopt ICT mobile platforms to woo the youths into joining them.
Chemno led the county in marking the 97th International Cooperatives Day at Bishop Delany High School. The event's theme was 'Cooperatives for decent work'.
The cooperatives will reduce inequality by empowering people economically and providing a chance for the less-endowed to start businesses and gain access to services that would otherwise be beyond their reach.
“We recently employed more than 50 new staff to deal with the challenges earlier witnessed in the department of cooperatives,” said Chemno, himself a member of Ainabkoi Farmers’ Cooperative Society.
Cooperatives executive Esther Mutai thanked the county leadership for the support offered to her department.
She said the cooperative movement has provided a solution to a number of problems in the country.
“The cooperative movement in the country has mobilised Sh800 billion in savings and employed more than one million people directly and indirectly,” Mutai said.
She called for proper audits of all books of accounts and compliance with the best bookkeeping practices.
Cooperatives chief officer Pius Kigen urged the cooperatives to take advantage of loans advanced by county through the County Enterprise Development Fund.
Education executive Joseph Kurgat and MCAs attended the event.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
