Title: Machakos Cooperative Faces Governance Crisis After Members Oust Leadership
A farming and ranching cooperative society in Machakos County has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after its general membership convened to remove the sitting management committee, reflecting deepening frustration over the body’s handling of society affairs.
Members of the Katelembo Athiani Muputi Farming and Ranching Co-operative Society passed a vote of no confidence in the committee at a recent general meeting, accusing the leadership of financial mismanagement, lack of transparency and failure to account for society resources. The development marks the latest chapter in an extended governance dispute that has divided the society’s membership and undermined its operations.
Cooperatives play a central role in the agricultural economy of Machakos and the broader Ukambani region, providing farmers with collective bargaining power, access to inputs and shared marketing infrastructure. When governance breaks down, the consequences are felt directly in members’ livelihoods, with loan access, dividend payments and asset management all vulnerable to disruption.
The cooperative movement in Kenya is regulated by the Co-operative Societies Act and overseen by the State Department for Co-operatives, which has powers to inspect societies, appoint interim management and sanction officers found culpable of malpractice. Members of the Machakos society are expected to petition the department to facilitate a transition to new leadership and ensure a proper handover of accounts.
Disputes of this kind have become increasingly common across Kenyan cooperative societies, where elected committees sometimes resist accountability mechanisms and members lack the resources to pursue prolonged legal remedies.
County cooperative officers in Machakos said they were aware of the situation and would work to ensure that the transition followed the prescribed legal process, including verification of the meeting’s quorum and compliance with the society’s constitution before any new committee is formally recognised.
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