By BERTILLA NYANCHAMA: Leaders from nine coffee cooperative societies in Kisii County have completed a five-day training program on governance and leadership, a move aimed at streamlining management practices and restoring farmer confidence in the sector.

The initiative, supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) under the ACCEL Africa Project, targeted management boards from various societies across the county.

Participants were trained on core tenets of governance, including accountability, transparency, ethical leadership, and member education.

The sessions were facilitated by local cooperative officers who recently completed a two-week Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop, also sponsored by the ILO.

Speaking during the training, Kisii County Deputy Director for Cooperatives, Bernard Ochieng, noted that the program is central to strengthening institutional structures across the region.

“This initiative is helping us build robust cooperative systems. Because our officers are now fully equipped, they can continue training more leaders and members across Kisii,” Ochieng said.

Duncan Chando, the National Project Officer for the ACCEL Project, emphasized that well-governed cooperatives are vital to boosting farmers’ incomes and championing decent working conditions.

The sentiments were echoed by Stephen Obure, Chairperson of the Nyambunde Farmers’ Cooperative Society, who noted that the training offered practical solutions to long-standing managerial challenges.

“The lessons we have gained will help us improve service delivery to members and fundamentally strengthen our cooperative societies,” Obure said.

According to the ILO, fostering strong cooperative governance is a crucial step toward building sustainable, responsible coffee supply chains while ultimately securing the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.