A distinct management feature of Co-operative enterprises is the element of self-control. In Kenya, Co-operatives elect Supervisory Committees during their Annual General Meetings. These impartial groups made up of 3 elected members are answerable directly to the membership of the Co-operative. Help protecting the member’s assets through overseeing the management of the Co-operative is the core mandate of this Committee:
Inducting newly elected Committee members into their role is a key factor in order for them to live up to the expectations set by the Co-operative members. At present, the participation in non-academic training programmes for Supervisory Committee members isn’t statutorily regulated. However, thorough internal controls are important contributions to operate the Co-operative in a transparent and compliant way. The DGRV project in Kenya is committed to help providing adequate training courses to Supervisory Committees in our project areas.
In February 2021, DGRV Kenya trained nine multipliers of the DGRV partner organizations CETIC Narok, CETIC Kakamega and Kipkelion Youth Council in “Internal Control for Co-operatives”. Attending this format qualified the participants to now offer Internal Control trainings in these regions.
The Training of Trainers event had two main objectives: Acquainting the new Internal Control trainers with the educational contents of the course as well as learning to professionally facilitate the learning experience for the participant. We had fun testing new stimulating ways of doing group works or conveying content in a participatory manner suitable for adult learning. After 3 days of demonstrations and practicing the newly trained internal control multipliers are ready to provide trainings for Supervisory Committee members on the ground!
The straightforward Internal Control training course provides people who are new to Supervisory Committees with access to practical exercises together with well-balanced theory sessions. Whereas more experienced participants are invited to professionalize their skills with in-depth knowledge of internal control mechanisms. The training materials provide plenty of sources for further, independent learning and tools to be practically applied when conducting internal controls in Co-operatives.
Below are some of the photos for the various exercises during the training:
