Director Voices: Why APBET Schools Are Joining UASA-K

Ask a director why they joined UASA-K SACCO and the answer is rarely about interest rates. It is almost always about being understood.

The January problem

Every APBET director knows the January squeeze: teachers must be paid, rent is due, and fees trickle in over several weeks. Directors described taking expensive short-term credit year after year simply to bridge four weeks.

Through the Sacco, that same bridge is funded from a pool the director has been contributing to all year, at co-operative rates, with repayment scheduled against the fee calendar rather than against a generic monthly template.

What members say they use loans for

• Bridging salaries at the start of a term
• Classroom construction, partitioning and furniture
• Buses, desks, textbooks and learning materials
• School licensing, compliance and registration costs
• Personal needs such as school fees for their own children and emergencies

“The bank asked me for security. My Sacco asked me for my savings record. That is the whole difference.”

Joining is deliberately simple

Membership is open to APBET school directors and their staff. Registration is Ksh 1,000, the annual subscription is Ksh 3,000, and contributions are made through Paybill 400200, account 01134773984500.