Effect of Co-Operatives on the Livelihoods of Rural Sirisia Constituency in Bungoma County, Kenya

The cooperative movement is a key variable in the growth of the Kenyan economy especially in the rural households. Historically, agricultural cooperatives in Kenya have been a successful and common aspect of rural life; especially in as far as social-economic growth is concerned. These cooperatives have allowed for economic stability and provided a framework for local investment that is community based. The latter is particularly important because while complimenting economic development, cooperatives also directly contribute to community development by establishing local channels of communication and enhancing local decision-making (Brennan and Luloff, 2005). Much of the developing world is experiencing rapid economic growth and the cooperatives aim to bring that growth in the rural areas. However, there has been a challenge in the administrative operations and sustainability of most Agrarian cooperative societies that have diversity in terms of membership. It’s for this reason that this study sought to assess the effect of Agrarian Co-operatives in social-economic development in rural areas, specifically Sirisia constituency, Bungoma County, Kenya. Specifically, the study aims to ascertain the effect of cooperative societies on the livelihoods of the rural households in Bungoma County. The study employed descriptive survey research design. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. It targeted 534 members of the cooperative societies from Sirisia Constituency of Bungoma County. A sample of 107 respondents was selected from the target population using stratified random sampling techniques. The study used a standard questionnaire during data collection. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The findings of the study revealed that the current Cooperative Societies have a very little positive impact on the livelihood of the community members. The study concluded that though the Agrarian Cooperative Societies have a significant positive association with the livelihood of the community, their positive impact on the community livelihood is not felt. In this regard therefore, there is need for the government to facilitate the Agrarian Cooperative Societies to save them from collapsing as much as they are much into the idea of devolution. Keywords: Agrarian Co-operatives, Social-economic, Development , Rural Area