Background (Role of committee)

The Cooperatives committee was constituted to consider all matters relating to cooperatives development and regulations. The committees’ mandate revolves around;

• Review and develop memorandums on current Bills before National Assembly and Senate relating to Cooperatives;
• Review and Coordinate Counties position on National policies relating to Cooperatives
• Coordinate any matter relating to Cooperatives at intergovernmental level;
• To coordinate and harmonize the Council’s position on matters of Cooperatives relations between the two levels of government;

 

Legal Framework

The primary source of legislation of the Trade, Industry and Investment committee's activities is the constitution of Kenya 2010. The other key sources of legislation include:

• The County Governments Act 2012

Approach to undertaking Committee’s business

The committee functions through: -

• Stakeholder approach through instituting sectoral forum for County Governments officers in charge of Cooperatives;
• Operationalize the intergovernmental mechanism on Cooperatives to assist Counties achieve their objective of Cooperative development
• Sharing of best practices among County Governments in the sector.

Status Briefs (Current agendas/issued being addressed by the committee)

• Operationalization of the Intergovernmental sectoral forum on Cooperatives,
• Coordinate County Governments input in the draft Cooperatives Policy that is being spearheaded by the State Department of Cooperatives,
• Assist Counties in domestication of the Draft Model County Cooperatives policy.

Impact/Breakthroughs/Key Achievements

• Data collection in the sector on the successes made after devolution by the County Governments;
• Developed a County Model law on Cooperatives which has been domesticated by some Counties.

Opportunities that the Committee Offers

The Committee offers the County Governments with a good opportunity to present matters that affect Counties on matters related to Cooperatives development. The State Department of Cooperatives is currently spearheading the development of a Cooperatives Policy which outline the strategy in the development the sector.

Resources

• The Committee has collected information and data from County Governments on the successes made after devolution in the sector and the

  intervention made by them;

• The Committee holds sectoral forums with CECs in Charge of Cooperatives to share on matters related to the sector.

• Current Sector Challenges (issue statement)

• Lack of a National Cooperatives Legal and Policy framework to guide the sector;
• The Co-operative Societies Act and the SACCO Societies Act does not provide for the functions of the devolved system of Government;
• Intergovernmental conflicts on matters related to Cooperatives sector example include in the Coffee Sector

• Key lessons from the Committees Cycle (2013-2017)

• There is need to operationalize the intergovernmental mechanism in the sectors;
• Need to develop and finalize the National Legislation and Policy respectively for the sector;
• Build linkage with the State Department of Cooperatives on regulation of the sector to avoid instances of brief case Cooperatives.

 

Priorities and support required from Committee leadership from Sep 2017

• Operationalization of the Cooperative intergovernmental forum
• Finalization of the draft Cooperatives Policy