Homa Bay Agribusinesses Commit to Capacity Strengthening

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2024

Contact: George Nyamweya | info@iamnuru.org

HOMA BAY – On November 22, 2024, Nuru Kenya staff, representatives from 13 Homa Bay cooperatives, and Homa Bay County officials participated in the launch of the Capacity Empowerment Partnership (CEP) Project. The County Officers were led by the Chief Officer for Trade, Tourism, Investment, Cooperative and Marketing Department in Homa Bay. He was accompanied by the Director and Cooperative Officers from the Department. In addition, the Principal Lead Council and representatives from the Departments of Agriculture and Livestock were present. There are 13 cooperatives in Homa Bay County that have signed MOUs with Nuru Kenya, signifying the commencement of the Capacity Empowerment Partnership (CEP) Project by Nuru Kenya through the Nuru Regional Training College (NRTC).

Attendees at MOU Signing Event, 2024

Nuru Kenya began working in Homa Bay County in 2020 and has reached 4,500 farmers by strengthening the capacities of 13 farmer-owned cooperative agribusinesses in the county. Through CEP, Nuru Kenya will continue to build on the work it has accomplished through the USAID-funded Sustainable Local Leadership (SLL) Project by providing agribusinesses with access to professional management courses offered by NRTC.

“Nuru Kenya endeavors to take the smallholder cooperatives in Homa Bay to the next level. CEP shall equip them with the relevant policies, tools, and skills needed to ensure they operate transparently, efficiently, and professionally in order to achieve their goal of engaging in agribusinesses sustainably.” – Nuru Kenya Managing Director Pauline Wambeti

Nuru Kenya’s objective is to equip cooperative agribusinesses to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills needed for cooperative leadership and governance. The MOU between the NRTC and the 13 agribusinesses formalizes this capacity strengthening and enables each party to track the achievement of their mutually shared goals. The MOUs articulate the following:

• the responsibilities and roles of the cooperatives and their members in addressing the identified capacity building needs
• the responsibilities of NRTC in addressing the identified capacity building needs
• clear guidelines on project implementation
• expected outcomes
• details on how the partnership will be managed

This marks a significant milestone of growth in Homa Bay cooperative agribusinesses, as the leaders and members are committing to invest in continued learning to grow their knowledge and skills, enabling them to operate their agribusinesses more efficiently. Farmer members will further learn how to resolve conflicts, streamline operations by instituting appropriate procedures and bookkeeping practices, navigate uncertainties in the business environment, and capitalize on emerging opportunities to improve livelihoods and increase income.

“Capacity building will ensure that the cooperatives improve their skills and knowledge which are necessary for sustainability and long term growth of the cooperatives within Homabay County.” -Cooperatives Development and Marketing Chief Officer Elijah Obiny Dede

The expected outcome of CEP is that the agribusinesses will acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in business planning, bookkeeping, financial management, and leadership and governance to support the professionalization and sustainable growth of their agribusinesses. The project will culminate in the development of robust operating systems and governance structures by October 2025. Throughout the course of CEP, Nuru Kenya will monitor activities, tailoring approaches to increase efficiency and better address the needs of the agribusinesses. At the conclusion of CEP, an impact assessment will be conducted in order to document both lessons learned and best practices. Nuru Kenya is excited to continue supporting Homa Bay through agribusinesses to overcome systemic barriers as they strive to be self-reliant agricultural communities.

Cooperative meeting with a supplier, Homa Bay County, 2024

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About Nuru Kenya:

Established in 2008, Nuru Kenya is a locally-led organization in Kenya and a member of the Nuru Collective. Nuru Kenya’s mission is to build the resilience of smallholder agricultural communities in six counties of remote rural Kenya by eradicating extreme poverty and establishing sustainable locally-owned agribusinesses by 2030.