MARY NJUGUNA: HOW MENTOR SACCO IS SUPPORTING ME TO ACHIEVE MY DREAMS

Young, ambitious and focused, civil servant’s decision to join tier
one Sacco yields fruits
By George Gichuki

Going by the demographics of most members who are currently joining Mentor Sacco, one cannot fail to notice that times are changing. They are young, well-educated, ambitious, technologically savvy and with well-defined financial goals. This trend is of huge benefit to the Sacco. It is a reassurance that its membership and profits will continue growing given that the Kenyan median age is nineteen years. Any forward looking business therefore needs to tap into this market.

Mary Njuguna is in this generation. An employee of the National Registration Bureau, she joined Mentor Sacco in March 2023. She is based at the GPO Huduma Centre in Nairobi. “I have a young family and I therefore joined Mentor Sacco in order to save for their education among other needs,” she says. Unfortunately, Mary lost her husband in the early years of their marriage. Consequently, she is the sole bread winner of her two children – one in pre – primary one (PP1) and the other in grade four.

The journey

Mary was introduced to Mentor Sacco by her work mates. At that time, she was based at the National Registration Bureau office in Kenol town – Murang’a county. “They assured me that the tier one Sacco had innovative products that would meet my needs as a young professional,” she recalls. It has been a two year journey full of joy with the Sacco. To start with, she transferred the elder child and enrolled the young one to a well-established school using a loan from the Sacco. “I could not have afforded to meet the cost of this exercise were it not from the assistance I got from the Sacco,” she adds. Additionally, she has earned substantial interest and dividends from her non-withdrawable deposits and share capital respectively. Prudent in financial management, at the beginning of the year, Mary pays school fees in lump sum for her two children using her interest and dividends.

Financial discipline

One of the golden rules that many people observe in their quest to achieve financial success is paying themselves first. This involves saving some money as soon as one gets paid and before meeting other financial obligations. Mary follows this rule religiously. Through a standing order, she saves a reasonable fraction of her salary with Mentor Sacco every month. “By and large, this has helped me to be financially disciplined,” she says adding that she avoids living beyond her means.

A holder of a diploma in records and archives management, this year, she is planning to apply for another loan in order to enroll for a degree in the same field. In the same vein, Mary plans to save more with Mentor Sacco so that she can purchase a plot and put up a house for her family. As a means of diversifying her income, the young mother has a dream of establishing a beauty shop at Thika town in the near future.

Advice to the youth

Having had a delightful experience with Mentor Sacco, Mary calls upon other young people to become its members. “Once you meet the necessary requirements, accessing a loan from Mentor Sacco is very fast,” she says. “The loan is disbursed within twenty four hours and therefore members are able to meet their needs in a timely manner,” she adds. In the same vein, Mary advises young civil servants to start saving with Mentor Sacco as soon as they get employed so that they can attain financial success at early age and ultimately secure their future. During her leisure, she loves swimming, playing volleyball and reading.