Welfare group marks 32 year of existence

By Bett Kipsang and David Kiarie

There was pomp and colour as a community welfare group from Sipili over marked 30 years of existence and services.

Members of Karungubii- Kiriko welfare group slaughtered a bull, which they feasted on to celebrate their success of over three decades.

According to a founder member Margaret Mwangi, who is also the group vice Chairman, the group started as a women only group in 1979 with it 11 followers.

Mwangi said members were contributing 50 cents each to buy household items like utensils and supporting one another during events like weddings, births and deaths.

Men then joined the group latter in1985 after realizing the potential the organization had .The membership of the group has since grown to 168 currently with registration being done per household.

 The welfare group is is well organized and the group has been keeping records in a ledger book bought back in 1982 for Ksh 8.

Members contribute Ksh 150 up from 50 cents, Ksh 2, 3,5 and 20, which they used to contribute in the 90s. The contribution is made whenever a member or his/her child is graduating with a university degree, whenever a young couple is wedding and incase of a death in the family a member. A total of Ksh 21,500 is given to the family in need.

“We want to encourage our children to take education seriously and pursue degree courses and we also want them to do weddings while they are still fresh from their parents home and not after staying together for sometime. That is why we contribute money as an incentive to encourage our youths,” said the group secretary Joseph Mwati.

When we visited the group that was hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mwangi at Karungubii, more than 150 members were celebrating with songs, dance and thanksgiving prayers.

The group members then contributed more than four bags of maize which they donated to Sipili school for the deaf as a way of helping the needy people in the society.

 The group chairman Harrison Ngugi told Laikipia Rural Voices that the secret of their success is the high level of discipline they have managed to maintain where members adherence to set rules and guidelines.

 ‘‘We have seen groups come and go, but we have remained strong and united because all our members follow the group rules,’’ Ngugi said adding that for the past thirty years no member has flouted rules to warrant any disciplinary action.