Empowering the Heart of the Economy: Over 350 Women in Kitale Benefit from Financial Literacy Training

KITALE, TRANS NZOIA — In a vibrant display of community progress and economic ambition, over 350 women from Kitale Town in the Saboti Constituency gathered this week for a transformative training session under the Women Economic Empowerment Program.

The initiative, organized by Trans Nzoia Hub in partnership with the Stanbic Foundation, marks a significant milestone in the mission to bridge the financial gap for women traders in the region. By focusing on low-income and financially excluded women, the program seeks to transition them from informal trade into the formal banking ecosystem.

A Partnership for Progress

The Stanbic Kenya Foundation, the social investment arm of Stanbic Bank, has been a pillar of social development since 2020. Recognizing that women often face unique hurdles in accessing capital, the Foundation launched this program to create data-driven credit models that support graduation to commercial lending.

In Trans Nzoia, this vision is being brought to life through the localized expertise of the Trans Nzoia Hub. The training focused on four core pillars:

• Capacity Building: Practical skills in financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
• Savings Culture: Encouraging the growth and professional management of "chamas."
• Productive Lending: Providing essential working capital to scale small businesses.
• Credit Inclusion: Building the digital footprints necessary for modern financing.

Voices from the Hub

Speaking during the training session in Kitale, Enock Onsare, the Founder of Trans Nzoia Hub, emphasized the ripple effect of empowering women at the constituency level.

“When we invest in a woman’s ability to manage and grow her business, we aren't just helping an individual; we are stabilizing an entire household and, by extension, the economy of Kitale,” said Onsare.

“Our partnership with Stanbic Foundation is about moving beyond temporary aid and providing the sustainable tools—like financial literacy and credit access—that allow our mothers and sisters to thrive on their own terms.”

Onsare further noted the strategic importance of the Saboti Constituency in the county's broader economic map.

“Trans Nzoia Hub is committed to ensuring that no woman is left behind in the digital and financial revolution. By reaching over 350 participants today, we are taking a firm step toward the national goal of reaching 411,000 women by 2027.”

“We want to see these 'chamas' evolve into robust business entities that drive the future of Trans Nzoia County.”

Looking Ahead

The program is designed as a journey, not a one-time event. As these women implement their new skills in bookkeeping, savings, and reinvestment, they will begin to build the data-driven profiles required to access larger productive loans.

With the success of the Kitale Town training, Trans Nzoia Hub and Stanbic Foundation continue to demonstrate that with the right partnerships, the path to economic agency and improved livelihoods is well within reach for the women of Saboti.