Faq’s

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Member

Kenya USA Diaspora Savings and Credit Cooperative Society Ltd (Kenya USA Diaspora Sacco) was registered in Kenya on January 26th 2012 under the Co-operative Societies Act, Cap 490 Laws of Kenya, with the objective of providing investment opportunities as well as a mechanism for Kenyans living in the United States of America, to save and borrow money at a low cost, in order to meet their socio-economic needs. Kenya USA Diaspora Sacco operates wholly under the Kenyan law, and is not governed by the laws of the United States of America.

You must meet the following requirements:

  1. Be a Kenyan over 18 years old, in gainful employment and residing in the United States of America (USA)
  2. Have a valid Kenyan Passport or a Kenyan National ID
  3. Provide a colored passport size photograph
  4. Provide information for a designated next of Kin (nominee) who resides in the United States or in Kenya
  5. Pay a one-time non-refundable membership fee of Kenya Shillings (KES) 10,000
  6. Purchase a minimum of five (5) shares @ (KES) 1,000 each upon joining the Sacco. Owning shares makes you a bona-fide member of the Sacco.
  7. Contribute a minimum of (KES) 10,000 to your Sacco Main Savings Account everytime. The more you contribute, the higher the amount you can borrow through the Sacco.
  8. If you wish to take a loan after the required 6 months of regular contribution and depending on the type of loan, you will be eligible to borrow upto four times (4x) the amount you have in your Sacco Main Savings Account.

Yes. As a member, all you need to do is instruct the society in writing to transfer your deposits to another member, giving full details of the transfer such as the cash amounts and the SACCO membership number for the recipients. There’s a fee associated with this transfer.

A share is the amount represented by a member’s portion, or equity or ownership in the Sacco. In our Kenya USA Diaspora Sacco, each member must hold a minimum of 5 shares at a price of KES 1,000 each, to be a co-owner. However, no member shall hold more than one-fifth of the total shares of the society.

Absolutely Yes! Once you buy shares in the Sacco, the Sacco invests in various growth projects that qualify members to earn dividends at the end of the year.

A share of the surplus of the society, which is divided amongst its members, based on the Sacco’s profitability and a member’s shareholding percentage.

The total amount of money that has been deposited into the account and is determined as of the end of the year.

By buying shares regularly in the Sacco. Your share capital is then ivnvested by the Sacco for growth purposes.

Shares form a part of the funds invested by a member into the SACCO, as a co-owner. They are not withdrawable.

The following steps will be followed:

Full Withdrawal

  1. A member must inform the society by writing to the committee of his or her intention to withdraw.
  2. The member will be required to give the Sacco 60 days notice.
  3. A refund will always be given less any monies and loans owed to the society and its affiliated partners.
  4. A conditional or early refund may be considered subject to board approval if the member agrees to pay an early withdrawal commission of 10% on net savings due, in addition to a processing fees. In this case the funds will be disbursed within 2 working days after approval.
  5. A processing fee of 1% on net savings due, but not less than 1,000 Kenya shillings will be charged.

*Please note that only the Main Savings net balances will be refunded by the Sacco. The Share Capital is not refundable but it is transferable to a willing member of the Sacco.

Partial Withdrawal

The Sacco may consider partial withdrawal of Main Saving on rare circumstances such as emergencies under the following terms and conditions:

  1. Make a formal application to the Sacco clearly stating the reason(s) and the amount required.
  2. The partial withdrawal amount cannot exceed 50% of member total Main Savings.
  3. The member must be willing to pay an instant withdrawal commission of 10% on amount to be withdrawn in lieu of 60 days notice period.
  4. No processing fee will be charged on partial withdrawal.

Yes. The member should notify the Sacco in writing about their re-location. They must also continue to make contributions into their account. If you have a loan, your guarantors must be notified as well, and they must be in agreement.

Enables you to save money and accumulate savings for your future needs, earn lucrative returns on your savings, access cheap and easy borrowing for your development goals, ability to purchase well-priced and legit property in Kenya without leaving USA etc.

These are just a few of the privileges of being a Sacco member. Find out more ways in which you benefit here.

The Board and Management are running the SACCO as per the Co-operative Societies Act and its by-Laws. The Management committee is bound by the Integrity clause of the new constitution of Kenya, and the co-operative regulators in the Ministry of Co-operatives monitor activities of all SACCOS. Furthermore, the SACCO will hold Annual General Meetings yearly where reports and audited accounts will be presented to the members.

 

Products

The Sacco currently offers the following:

  1. Normal Loan. View more information about this type of loan.
  2. Emergency Loan. View more information about this type of loan.
  3. School Fees Loan. View more information about this type of loan.
  4. Premium Loan. View more information about this type of loan.
  5. Top-Up Loan. View more information about this type of loan.
  6. Mega / Consolidated Loan. View more information about this type of loan.
  1. Main Savings Account – Main Savings is the Sacco Core Saving that every member must have in order to access all Sacco products and services while enjoying annual interest returns based on Sacco’s profitability.
  2. Mavuno Term deposit – where you can invest and grow your money. View more more information about this type of investment.
  1. Main Savings Account – Main Savings is the Sacco Core Saving that every member must have in order to access all Sacco products and services while enjoying annual interest returns based on Sacco’s profitability.
  2. Mavuno Term deposit – where you can invest and grow your money. View more more information about this type of investment.

Under the ‘Invest’ menu, you will find various projects and investment opportunities currently on offer.

 

General

The Diaspora Sacco is very similar to a credit union, as they both operate within the same principles. They are both member owned and members share a common bond. They both provideing credit at very competitive rates that are better than commercial banking institutions among many other benefits. The Kenya USA Diaspora Sacco works like a credit union, except that it is governed and operated under the laws of Kenya as stipulated in the Co-operatives Act Society movement of Kenya.

The E-Sacco is an online system that provides access to information for our members, regardless of their geographic location in the USA. The system provides online member account statements and updates, while offering convenience, accountability and tracking of all member activities, among other functions.

In the near future, the system will provide online money payment and transfer for our members to be able to conveniently remit money to their Sacco account from their checking accounts and debit/ credit cards.

 

You should be a member of the Sacco and contribute money consistently to your Sacco account before qualifying for a loan. The more money you have saved in your Sacco account, the higher the loan you can qualify for.

Members will be able to use their US information and income sources to pre-qualify for the loan. You may use your Form W-2, Form 1099, US bank statements, IRS tax returns, credit checks and other documentation that proves your ability to repay the loan.

The collateral to be used must be domiciled in Kenya.

For a normal, premium, personal, emergency, education, land purchase, house purchase, construction and other loans, you can qualify for upto four times (4x) your current total Main Savings in the Sacco.

The interest rate on the loan is between 1.00% – 1.25% per month, depending on the type of loan you’ve taken. The interest rates are charged on reducing balance.

Repayment period: 1 to 3 years depending on the type of loan. No penalty is charged if you opt to repay the loan faster.

Yes. You will still pay all the interest that was assessed on the loan. However, there is no penalty charged if you opt to repay your loan faster.

You can apply for a loan after 6 months of consistent contribution to your Main Savings account.

Yes you can. However, you will need to initiate the transfer yourself.

First, you download the respective form from the page on this website that shows the type of loan and complete it. After meeting the conditions of applying for a loan, a member submits a completed application form to the Sacco board for approval. This is the team that bears the responsibility for all loans approved through a loan policy prescribed by the Society by-laws.

No. The interest rate is fixed for the duration of the loan.

Depending on the type of loan, it may take anywhere between one week to two months to process a loan. Ensure you submit all required documents with your loan application to enhance the loan processing period.

The Sacco was born out of the needs of Kenyans living in the USA, and the circumstances that Kenyans in the USA encounter everyday such as:

  1. Most Kenya financial institutions have stringent financial requirements that become cost prohibitive and make qualifications difficult
  2. Friends and relatives who often fail us by not executing our agreed upon instructions
  3. Limited control and accountability of our money when it gets to Kenya

Presently, membership is only allowed on an individual basis. But the Sacco is in the process of working out the modalities to accept group membership. However, the Sacco is currently accepting membership from all Kenyans in the Diaspora such as UK, Canada, Middle East, Australia, Uganda etc

No, because each member joins individually, currently groups are not recognized within the Sacco, but will very soon.

No. The Kenya USA Diaspora Sacco Society has no affiliation with any other SACCO. It is established under the Co- operative Societies Act, CAP 490 Laws of Kenya, meaning that its operations are regulated by the Kenyan Government for the benefit of its members residing in the USA.