Introducing the Financial Inclusion for Youth and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Agriculture (FIYMA) Programme to Cooperative and SACCO Regulators

On 28 January 2026, the Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT), together with its consortium partners, conducted high-level courtesy engagements with two key institutions at. the heart of Kenya’s cooperative finance ecosystem, the Office of the Commissioner for Cooperatives and the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA).

These engagements marked an important milestone in the rollout of the Financial Inclusion for Youth and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Agriculture (FIYMA) Programme, an initiative designed to expand access to inclusive finance for young women and men engaged in agriculture and agri-enterprise.

The discussions focused on aligning FIYMA’s interventions with national priorities, strengthening regulatory collaboration, and building shared commitment to unlocking sustainable economic opportunities for youth.

Strengthening Cooperative-Led Pathways to Youth Inclusion

The FIYMA delegation, led by MESPT Chief Executive Officer, Rebecca Amukhoye, was hosted by the Commissioner for Cooperatives in Nairobi. The team presented FIYMA a five- year initiative (Nov 2025 to 2030) designed to unlock access to youth-friendly finance for young Team pose for a photo with the Commissioner of Cooperatives and his team people and youth led MSMEs in agriculture. The program targets 100,000 young people, at least 70% of whom are young women, including persons with disabilities and refugees, and aims to create 250,000 dignified work opportunities by 2030. The program is being implemented across 28 counties and six priority value chains: dairy; livestock and poultry; fisheries and aquaculture; Irish potatoes; pulses; and fruits and vegetables. FIYMA responds directly to persistent barriers young people face in accessing affordable, flexible capital and business support in agriculture.

Consortium partners, including NCBA CLUSA, East Africa Market Development Associates (EAMDA), and Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) highlighted their complementary roles in building SACCO capacity, strengthening market access for youth-led enterprises, and embedding gender and social inclusion across programme interventions. The Commissioner welcomed FIYMA’s focus on young people aged 18–35, noting its importance to the long-term sustainability of the cooperative sector. He emphasized the rapid growth of youth-driven SACCOs and committed to sharing sector data to support evidence-based targeting. The Commissioner further underscored the need for integrated approaches that combine finance with training, technical assistance, and end-to-end value chain support, formally endorsing FIYMA for its strong alignment with national priorities on youth employment, cooperative development, and inclusive finance.

Partnering with Regulators to Build Sustainable SACCOs

Later the same day, the FIYMA team engaged the leadership and technical staff of SASRA, focusing on regulatory alignment and strategies to address persistent barriers limiting youth participation in SACCOs. SASRA reaffirmed that meaningful youth engagement is essential to the long-term resilience of the SACCO sector. In response, the FIYMA team highlighted the programme’s emphasis on financial literacy, awareness, and capacity building, equipping young people with the skills, confidence, and knowledge required to actively participate in and benefit from cooperative finance. The Acting Chief Executive Officer of SASRA welcomed FIYMA’s approach, noting that SACCO member deposits alone are often insufficient to meet lending demand. He emphasized the importance of complementary financing mechanisms, strong risk management, and robust monitoring frameworks to ensure sustainable growth and impact.

Together, the engagements reaffirmed strong institutional support for FIYMA and the shared commitment to collaborative action. Through continued partnership with regulators, cooperatives, and ecosystem actors, FIYMA will contribute to unlockin inclusive finance, productive employment, and resilient agribusiness opportunities for young people across Kenya.