History made:First woman elected Chairperson of Nyakibale Development SACCO

RUKUNGIRI, March 10, 2025 – Fortunate Akanyihayo, the former General Secretary of Nyakibale Development Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation [SACCO], has been elected as the first-ever female Chairperson of the SACCO found in Rukungiri district. She will serve alongside other former board members who were unanimously re-elected for a four-year term.

The new board members were elected on Friday during the SACCO’s 19th Annual General Meeting [AGM], held at Hotel Riverside and Conference Centre in Rukungiri Municipality.

Wenceslas Maanige, Chairperson of the Vetting Committee, stated that most of the former board members had applied for leadership positions, with the exception of Mpirirwe Aloysius, the former Chairman of the Board who served for two terms and didn’t reply to serve again.

Speaking at the AGM, Maanige highlighted that very few SACCO members had applied for leadership positions, thus challenging the new board to educate, sensitise, and prepare members to take on leadership roles within the various board committees. He also recommended that the SACCO include youth representatives on the board, recognising them as the future leaders.

“We advertised for 14 days inviting members to take on leadership roles within the SACCO, but the turnout was very low. In some cases, we even failed to get new applicants for certain positions, such as the Vetting Committee and the Supervisory Committee,” he said, adding that some applicants were unsuccessful due to lacking the required patronage qualifications or having a poor credit history.

Peterson Kazaire, General Manager of the SACCO, confirmed that the elective AGM was attended by 158 delegates, each representing 50 members from the SACCO’s two branches and one outreach centre.

The elected nine-member board includes: Fortunate Akanyihayo [Chairperson], Henry Byarugaba [Vice Chairman], Posias Agaba Nemesius [Treasurer], Ziine Narcisius [Secretary], Sr Bonny Atuhairwe [Member], Bruno Mugisha [Member], Agume Martin Agume Twinomujuni [Member], and Sr Florence Birungi [Member].

The delegates also re-elected the Supervisory Committee [SUPCO], which includes: Cornelius Byarugaba, Patrick John Tukahirwa, and Rutaroh Joseph Turyahikayo, along with the Vetting Committee, which includes: Wenceslas Maanige, John Bosco Ntarushokye, and Justine Burikano.

However, Apollinari Bakeihahuki, a member of the SACCO, expressed dissatisfaction with the election process, claiming that it lacked transparency and fairness.

“I agree with the decision taken, but next time, this process should be documented, as last time the same procedure was followed to elect the board. The Vetting Committee should receive more participants; if it is a question of policy, let the set standards be relaxed to allow for more applicants. For instance, the number of shares could be reviewed, but we need to see that not all candidates run unopposed; otherwise, it undermines the process,” he said.

George Owakukiroru, another member, disagreed with the idea of reducing qualifications for board representatives, arguing that it would weaken the performance of Nyakibale Development SACCO.

“I am a member who believes that leadership positions should be open to competition. Relaxing qualifications for candidates is absolutely wrong, and I do not support it,” he stated. Instead, Owakukiroru advocated for increased sensitisation and mobilisation of members to actively engage in the governance of the SACCO, warning that some cooperatives in the country had collapsed due to electing incompetent leaders.

“I believe we can increase sensitisation to encourage more members to participate in leadership, but we also need members to buy more shares and increase savings,” he added.

Grace Tayebwa, Principal Commercial Officer [PCO] for Rukungiri Municipality, also urged SACCO leaders to sensitise members on the electoral process before elections are held.

On her part, Chairperson-elect Fortunate Akanyihayo thanked the delegates for entrusting the new board with leadership and pledged to use her position to transform Nyakibale Development SACCO.

“I joined Nyakibale SACCO when I was still a young girl. I have served two terms as General Secretary and I am also a board member of the Uganda Cooperative Savings and Credit Union [UCSCU], which unites all SACCOs in Uganda. Therefore, I will bring in best practices from other cooperatives to help our SACCO develop further,” Akanyihayo explained.

She added that the SACCO is currently working on a new five-year development plan. “Our SACCO is already operating at a high standard. We do not have to worry about the members’ savings because we have quality players in the SACCO, particularly the management and staff, who are doing excellent work,” she said.

The outgoing Chairman, Aloysius Mpirirwe, congratulated the new Chairperson and the other Board Members, urging them to serve diligently.

“I saw this young woman [Akanyihayo] when she was a girl, and I pledged that she would one day become great. No surprise, she is now our new Chairperson,” Mpirirwe said, urging the new board to focus on serving SACCO members better. He also expressed pride in completing eight years as Chairman without any conflicts between the board and management.

“I am truly delighted to have worked with such a dedicated team for all these years, and to retire when people still need you. This is not a mere achievement. No one pushed me to stop; it was my own decision to step down and pursue other interests,” Mpirirwe said.

During his term, Mpirirwe strengthened internal mechanisms and controls to protect members’ savings. “We have strengthened the internal controls at Nyakibale SACCO. You cannot come to Nyakibale SACCO to steal,” he added, noting that no internal conflicts or political disputes had disrupted the SACCO’s operations.

Achievements
“In 2016, we made a surplus of Shs 107.9 million, and today we have accumulated a total surplus of Shs 1.2 billion, meaning Nyakibale Development SACCO is steadily growing,” Mpirirwe said.

He also highlighted that during his tenure, the SACCO started construction of a new head office building at a cost of Shs 700 million, funded by the 10-year corporate tax holiday government granted to SACCOs in 2017. “The construction of our new head office is almost complete, and we believe it will serve the SACCO without any issues,” Mpirirwe noted.

Collins Nyangaro, UCSCU Regional Manager for the Western Region, challenged the new board to intensify training for members, particularly on financial literacy, so they can better understand the cooperative business model. “One of the challenges we face when interacting with cooperatives in the region is that many members do not realise they are the biggest stakeholders in any SACCO,” he said.

Rev. Fr. Dr. Julius Turyatoranwa, a SACCO member, advised the new board to invest in a social audit to see hoe the SACCO has helped in the socio-economic transformation of members.

“I want the board to ensure that the lifestyle of our members is improving. Yes, we made a surplus of Shs 1.27 billion, but what impact has this SACCO had on the lives of our people? Are members benefiting? Are their living conditions improving? Do they have good housing? Are their children receiving quality education? A social audit report is very important because if non-members see that the lifestyle of our members is improving, they will be encouraged to join,” he explained.

According to Rev. Turyatoranwa, the SACCO was established to teach people how to save for the future. “If you don’t work and save, the time will come when you no longer have the energy to work, and when illness strikes, you will need funds for treatment,” he said.

Background
Nyakibale Development SACCO Limited, based in Rukungiri Municipality, was established by a group of people in 2005 under the Catholic Church to help Christians escape poverty.

Currently, the SACCO has 11,557 members, total assets of Shs 12.83 billion, total share capital of Shs 1.92 billion, total savings of Shs 5.6 billion, a loan portfolio of Shs 12.95 billion, and total dividends of Shs 1.26 billion.

The SACCO operates two branches: Nyakibale Main Branch in Rukungiri Municipality and Kasoroza Branch in Kasoroza Trading Centre in Rujumbura Constituency, as well as a Kashenyi Outreach in Ruhinda Sub-county, Rujumbura Constituency.

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