There is one lady amongst the twelve delegates-all board members of various Kenyan dairy cooperatives. Ms. Martha Woruchu Kibia of Ndumberi Dairy shares with great precision how she appreciated the past week. Not only the visits were fascinating, but also meeting fellow leaders from the cooperative dairy sector in Kenya was a great advantage. Ms. Kibia: “Everything was organized to perfection. The programme was varied and instructive, but it was equally enriching to be able to share experiences with the other members of the group. Every evening, in the hotel, we would discuss about the day and about our business back home. This was an unique chance to reflect upon, and exchange about the various circumstances and approaches of our cooperatives.”
Ms. Martha Kibia had left home with a clear goal in mind: “We are dairy producers, and we have one primary concern. We need to improve the feed for our cattle. I think we should focus on improving silage production, and in the past week I got some really helpful ideas.” Mr. John Mbuthia of Kieni Dairy shares this practical approach, and mentions the breeding of cattle as one of the top priorities of the cooperative he represents. “I wanted to learn from the Dutch. How do they raise their cattle in such a shape? I want to do the same back home”. Besides, the programme that was geared especially toward improving governance and bankability of cooperatives, also resounded with each participant. Mr. John Mbuthia. “Kieni Dairy recently faced several organizational challenges. The cooperative started a private company to set up a production unit for dairy products. We did so with the best intentions, but it gave rise to all kinds of allegations. We were at risk of losing the trust of the members and have struggled to win them back, by involving them in the decision making. These kinds of issues we discussed in the past week as well. In our case, besides the change in management style, we are also going to change the legal statute of the business.”
Mr. Eustache Kamunde of Meru Dairy alludes another case that struck him as an example of good governance. During the group's visit to Friesland Campina, one of the largest milk producers in The Netherlands, it was explained how recently one of the Campina board members resigned, as she noticed there was a looming mixture of interests between her work in the board, and her activities as a business woman.
Looking into the future, most delegates mention increasing the involvement of youth in their cooperatives, as a focal point. Throughout the week, youth membership has been a recurring theme. On several occasions, forming a youth council has been discussed as an adequate way to involve youngsters and prevent dairy cooperatives from declining in the long term. “I wish to see the young people more involved. But this needs to go slowly. At this point, a Youth Council might be too big a step for Kiabaa Dairy,” says Mr. Charles N. Mau, who nonetheless is eager to see his cooperative further develop and professionalise. After all, in business and in associative enterprises, we need to get the structures right, but human resources are a key to growth.
Indeed, the group members represent a variety of backgrounds and approaches. This diversity seems to create a very critically constructive atmosphere. Mr. David Muhika Mutahi, of Mukurwe-ini, is a true entrepreneur. “I started this cooperative more than twenty years ago. There was no place to take the milk we would produce, and other producers experienced the same need. So I decided to pull it off.” Today, the cooperative daily collects 40.000 litres of milk.
Thus, the stories of the Kenyan delegates show out that it is often a tough job to make cooperatives work; to make them profitable and give them a long-term future. It requires hard work, with various sorts of challenges along the way. But each of the delegates sees a way out to every problem they are presented with, whether they deal with internal or external factors; with issues of an organisational nature, or financial, or related to human resources. And over time their dreams for the cooperatives have started to materialise. Or, in the words of Mr David Mutahi: “Building a successful cooperative is all about loyalty, trust and consistency. In order to grow, your organization often needs change; readjustment, but you need to always prove yourself a reliable partner to your members.”
By Gea Helms, news office Agriterra.
