6th August 2013 at the YMCA
State House Road Nairobi
1st Annual General Meeting
for Kimisho
Community Development Network- KCDN and Kimisho Savings and Credit Co-operative
Society Ltd- KSSL- a speech by Odhiambo
T Oketch- Team Leader and Executive Director KCDN and KSSL.
The Commissioner for Cooperatives Development,
The Managing Director Kusco,
All our invited Guests,
Kimisho Members,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning.
Today, I am
an elated man. I am satisfied with what we have achieved and from now own, the
battle becomes ours, not mine anymore.
I toyed with
the idea of forming a Sacco Society for The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC, and I did consult
with Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o- the Senator for Kisumu County, the Rt Rev Johannes
Angela- the Bishop of the ACK Diocese of Bondo and many friends, and I am happy
that what we are witnessing today is the fruit of those discussions.
I then
consulted with the Commissioner for Co-operatives Developments and the
Secretary of the Poverty Eradication Commission, because we needed to found Kimisho
Sacco on firm grounds. I really want to appreciate their advice, guidance and
support. I firmly believe that we are going to walk jointly in this Journey of Hope
across Kenya as One united Kimisho Family under God.
Armed with
enough confidence, I approached our Friends in the Media who gave us enough
airtime to discuss our economic revival as a people in Kenya. The rest is now
unfolding right in front of us today; the birth of KCDN and KSSL. I now want to salute
Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello and Mr. Omole Asiko for seeing value in our preposition
to them.
Kimisho Savings and Credit
Co-operative Society Ltd
is a product of The
Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC.
This Journey of Hope
across Kenya has not been easy. But God has been on our side and He
has helped us to overcome and fight all the battles we have so far faced. He
has made us triumphant and I must appreciate what He says through the Psalmist
in the Good Book of Psalms 140; 1-6 ‘Save me LORD, from
evildoers. Keep me safe from violent
people.
They are always plotting evil, always stirring up quarrels. Their
tongues are like deadly snakes;
their words are like a cobra’s poison. Protect
me LORD, from the power of the wicked.
Keep me safe from violent people,
who plot my downfall.
The proud have set a trap for me, they
have laid their snares and along the path they have set traps to catch me.
I say to the LORD, you are my GOD. Hear
my cry for help LORD’.
Indeed,
snares and traps have been set for us from day 1. Journeymen and loud mouths,
men who cannot do anything but to criticize what others are doing, have been on
our case. They have written derogatory remarks about us; they have called us
conman; they have accused us of many things we do not even know about; and they
have called us free loaders. They have
chest thumped on how they will bring us down. But we have taken all these in our
strides because I knew we are doing the right thing and we are firmly within our
legal mandate and the Constitution of Kenya and many people are with us.
I am happy we
were never shaken nor worried even for a moment. And you can now all witness
today the fruit of that confidence.
Today, we are
hosting our 1st Annual General Meeting and our official launch as Kimisho Savings
and Credit Co-operative Society Ltd and I want to pass the baton and
mantle of Leadership to the Team that you have elected to manage the Kimisho Family.
The law is firmly on our side and the people are with us. So, do not be afraid.
Journeymen and idlers will say many things about you. They will accuse you of
all sorts of impropriety, but you must have the staying power. You must not
wobble at the first sign of trouble. You must be firm and remain solid.
You must keep
your sights firmly on the squirrel ahead. Not on the side shows. We have one
onerous task of baking this bread for all and sundry, and for many across the
valleys and ridges of Kenya and beyond, and we must deliver. Again, we must not
be afraid. Cowards die many times before their deaths.
At this
point, kindly allow me to invoke the memories of the great Sembene Ousmane, who
in his great epic- God’s bits of Wood- says- ‘if
you are afraid of the heat, you cannot be in the kitchen. And with no one in
the kitchen, there will be no food on the table’. He similarly
says- ‘if you are afraid of blood, you cannot be a butcher. And
with no butchers, there will be no meat’. We must remain in the
kitchen however hot it is if we desire to place some food on the Kimisho Family
Table.
Can we all
kindly rise up, fill our glasses and let us toast to the long life of the Kimisho Family.
I want to
invite my Team Members and Colleagues at Kimisho; this will never be a holiday resort for
us. There is work to be done and I want us to listen very keenly.
1.
Our
first assignment is to set up an office both in Nairobi, Busia and in all our
Branches.
2.
We
must then enhance our Recruitment drive to net 100,000 Members within the next
6 Months. But immediately, we must mobilize 20,000 Members to help make us
break-even.
3.
We
must recruit competent staff to help us meet our immediate challenges.
4.
We
must develop software that will drive our massive membership drive across
Kenya.
5.
We
must recruit a General Manager to oversee the setting up of Kimisho
on firm grounds within the next 3 Months, the structuring of our Unit Table Banking
Services and the setting up of Kimisho Investment Club.
6.
We
must develop a 3 Year Strategic Growth Plan that will see us develop into a
fully fledged Banking institution within three years- Kimisho Commercial Bank.
All these are
deliberate efforts which we must all work towards as a Team. We will not
entertain theories, seminars and workshops. These are tools meant for
mark-timing and procrastination.
I want to
invite our two Chairmen- The Rt Rev Bishop Johannes Angela- Bishop of the ACK
Diocese of Bondo- Chairman of our Board of Directors at KCDN and Mr. Dismus Omondi Obondo-
Chairman of KSSL
Management Committee, that your roles for the next three years is well cut out.
We need sound management and more-so, we need the numbers. We must hit 100,000
Members within the shortest time possible. You are taking over when we have
only enrolled about 500 Members, but we did this before we launched. Now that
we have launched officially, we want to see the figures and the numbers.
At this point
in time, I also want to appreciate our County Team Leaders and my Colleagues
who have helped me steer this ship this far, especially Mr. Fred Banja, Ms Mary
Akello, Mr. Philemon Ouma and many others. Let us now roll out firmly and
strongly across all Kenya with one singular aim- we can also do it.
I have only
lit the candle in a dark room and now, we must all share in the light and move
on. In this Journey
of Hope across Kenya, and as our Team Leader, I will listen very
keenly to sound advice and ideas that add value. But I will dismiss with utter
contempt ideas and comments that are pedestrian and from journeymen.
We will knock
on doors that are friendly and enhance partnerships that will see us deliver on
our three pillars namely;
1.
Environmental
Management,
2.
Economic
Empowerment, and
3.
Poverty
Eradication.
Our first
source of funding will be by pooling our own resources together on a Monthly
basis. We have revised our Registration Fee to Kshs 500.00 as from today and we will maintain our minimum Monthly
Contributions at Kshs 200.00.
Members have also agreed that they will all be making a voluntary Monthly
contribution of Kshs 20.00 to help
the office with logistics and administration and I want to sincerely thank all
of you for this great magnanimity.
To achieve
all the issues I have talked about, we must all invest in Kimisho and have the staying power.
We must trust in the leadership that we have elected today and we must remain
committed to our course. It will never happen by itself or by divine
intervention. We
must cause it to happen as we seek divine intervention. Members must
have that self discipline that will see us religiously make our Monthly
Contributions without being prompted and we must pay all the loans and support
we get.
All our County Team
Leaders and the Kimisho Unit Leaders must redouble their efforts
at Recruitment and mobilization.
Before I wind
up, let me pay special tribute and appreciation to the following Friends,
Members and Partners for making the hosting of this 1st AGM
possible;
- Mr. Alfayo Ondego- Kshs 1,000.00,
- Mr. Dismus Omondi Obondo- Kshs 2,000.00,
- Mr. Steven Obala Otieno- Kshs 2,000.00,
- Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch- Kshs 2,000.00,
- Ms Merab Akuon- Kshs 2,000.00
-
The Rt Rev Bishop Johannes Angela- Kshs 2,000.00,
- Ms Mary Asiko- Kshs 2,000.00,
- Mr. Jairus Gilbert Omondi- Kshs 3,000.00,
- Mr. Isayah Odhiambo Bwana- Kshs 10,000.00,
- Ms Everlyne Akumu- Kshs 2,000.00,
- Mr. Fredrick Omondi Banja- Kshs 5,000.00,
- Mr. Tubmun Otieno- Kshs 3,000.00.
- Mr. Joel Akama- Kshs 1,500.00,
- Dr Abraham Korir- Kshs 2,500.00,
- Ms Claire Omollo- Kshs 2,000.00,
- Ms Judith Anyango Ombok- Kshs 2,000.00.
I also want to leave you with the wise
counsel from St Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians- 1st
Corintians 3;7; The one who sows and the one who waters really
do not matter. It is God who matters, because, He makes the plant grow.
We have done our part and God is happy with
us. He is making it happen for us and He will guide our growth.
Lastly, may
the good LORD continue protecting us from the snares and traps of evildoers and
guide our path into righteousness. May Kimisho rise to her full potential.
May God bless Kimisho.
God bless Kenya and may all of you have great journey mercies as you travel
back.
Karibuni Chai.
Kimisho- Our Family
Odhiambo T Oketch presenting a Cerificate and Letter of Appreciation to Ms Winnie Kungania for The Royal Media Services Ltd. Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello and Mr. Fred Banja look on
Odhiambo T Oketch presenting Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello with a Certificate and Letter of Appreciation as Mr. Fred Banja and Ms Winnie Kungania look on.
Odhiambo T Oketch presenting the 19 Bibles and Certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello as Fred and Winnie look on.
Odhiambo T Oketch presenting a Certificate and Letter of Appreciation to Mr. Robert Karanja- News Director TV at The Royal Media Services as Mr. Willis Raburu and Mr. fred Banja look on
Our Family
Mr. Paul Kibugi Handing over Kimisho Documents to our Chairman Mr. Dismus Obondo while I am looking on
The Kimisho Team- Seated L-R; Ms Merab Akuom- Vice Chair KSSL, Mr. Dismus Omondi Obondo- Chair KSSL, Board Member KCDN, KIC, Ms Christine Mogalo- Committee Member- KSSL, Ms Judith Ombok- Board Member- KCDN. Standing L-R; Odhiambo T Oketch- Team Leader- KCDN, KSSL, KIC, Mr. Victor Kasera- Secretary Supervisory Committee KSSL, Mr. Isayah Bwana- Finance Director- KCDN, Ms Janet Winnie Ogot- Board Member- KCDN, Ms Emily Achieng'- Team Leader Kimisho Kisumu and Mr. Fred Banja- Treasurer- KCDN, KSSL, KIC
A Group Photo with the Bishop; L-R; Mr. Isayah Bwana, Ms Millicent Ogwel, Odhiambo T Oketch, The Rt Rev Bishop Johanness Angela, Mr. Philemon Odhiambo, Ms Emily Achieng, Mr. Fred Banja and Ms Janet Winnie Ogot- on the 9th August 2013 in Bondo
Odhiambo T Oketch during the AGM with Mr. Paul Kibugi- Cooperative Officer and Mr. George Ototo- Managing Director Kusco
The Kimisho Team in a Group Photo with Mr. Ototo and Mr. Kibugi
Mrs Odhiambo T Oketch, The Chairman Mr Dismus Obondo and the Secretary Odhiambo T Oketch with Mr. Kibugi and other Kimisho Members
Loud and Clear
Mr. Paul Kibugi- Co-operative Development Officer hands over the Certificate of Registration of Kimisho to Mr. Dismus Omondi Obondo- Chairman Management Committee KSSL. Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch and Mr. George Ototo- partially hidden, witnessed flanked the presentation.
Mr. George Ototo addressing Kimisho Members. With him L-R are Odhiambo T Oketch, Mr. Paul Kibugi and Mr. Dismus Obondo
The Kimisho Management Committee joins in a Group Photo with Mr. George Ototo and Mr. Paul Kibugi immediately after the Elections.
Kimisho Team Members in a Group Photo after the AGM
The Kimisho Family is growing
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