Location: Vihiga County, Kenya
The challenge before Kwara: Outdated manual processes that required members to visit the head office, resulting in slow growth and limited access to information
Solution: Implementing Kwara’s core banking system, including a SACCO mobile app and USSD functionality
Results: Increased membership from 1,800 to over 2,500, improved accessibility to accounts, a more streamlined member registration process, enhanced savings with unique cashback offers, and the prestigious acknowledgment of being the most digitalized SACCO in Vihiga County.
When you tell somebody that you are able to view your SACCO account on your phone, people are delighted.
Mr.Aswa – Vihiga Traders Sacco
About Vihiga County Traders Sacco (VICO TRASA)
Founded in 2008, VICO TRASA has been in existence for over 15 years. Committed to providing loans to its members at an affordable interest rate, the SACCO has made its promise true on providing fair loans in Vihiga County. However, its traditional, manual processes held it back from achieving maximum reach and impact.
Challenge
The SACCO’s main challenge was the necessity for members to physically come to the head office to access account information and perform transactions. This limitation hindered growth, as communication and access were tedious and inconvenient.
Solution
By partnering with Kwara, VICO TRASA transformed its SACCO experience. The core banking system allows Mr. Aswa, the admin of the SACCO, to perform transactions easily. He mentions about support at Kwara: “I want to commend your team for the tremendous work they do and how they’re helping us behind the scenes”.
In addition, mobile app functionalities such as viewing your balances, registering for the SACCO (even from abroad) and buying airtime with a 3% cashback, contributed to enhancing the members’ experience and growing the member base.
Since we came together as partners of Kwara, we’ve seen tremendous progress in our SACCO. Previously you had to fill a form; you would pay for your registration with the paybill. But now, we’ve got members who just join through our Kwara link and can access their account via their phone
Mr. Aswa – Vihiga Traders Sacco
Results
- Awards and Recognition: VICO TRASA was honored as the “Most Digitalized SACCO” and received a certificate from the Cooperative Office, changing the outlook on their SACCO and positioning them as a digital leader in Vihiga County.
- Increased Membership: The SACCO’s membership grew from around 1,800 to over 2,500 since working with Kwara.
- Enhanced Savings and Engagement: Through incentives like savings reminders and cashback on Airtime purchases through Kwara, members are motivated to increase their savings and actively engage with the SACCO.
- Convenience and Accessibility: The Kwara app allows members to join online and access SACCO services, even from abroad, streamlining the application process and piquing the interest of prospective members.
Looking to the Future
With the assistance of Kwara, VICO TRASA has set its sights on operating as a FOSA SACCO in the near future. The partnership continues to thrive, with plans to grow membership further and explore more ways to enrich the SACCO experience for its members.
“Kwara has really done great; it made our SACCO grow. We are so grateful to Kwara” says Geofry Aswa, the Admin of VICO TRASA.
Would you like to discover how digital transformation can help your SACCO grow? Contact Kwara to learn more about our solutions for SACCOs.
