First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto has urged women to embrace table banking and collective investment as pathways to financial empowerment and economic independence.

First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto said women must not remain spectators in the economy but should become creators, producers, entrepreneurs, investors and leaders in shaping Kenya’s future.

Speaking during women’s empowerment engagements in Kisii and Nyamira counties, Mama Rachel Ruto encouraged women to come together, save and invest in income-generating activities that can improve their livelihoods and strengthen their families.

“When women organise themselves, they do not simply save money. They share ideas, exchange knowledge and encourage one another. And when one woman falls, there is another woman to help her rise,” she said.

Through the Joyful Women Organisation, First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto said women have been equipped with financial management and entrepreneurship skills to enable them to establish and sustain enterprises.

She also highlighted Government initiatives aimed at expanding women’s access to affordable financing.

First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto said the Women Enterprise Fund has disbursed more than KSh28 billion to over 2.28 million women, while the Hustler Fund has provided more than KSh90 billion to 28 million borrowers across all 47 counties.

She said investments in infrastructure and markets were also creating opportunities for women to expand their businesses.

“Here in Kisii, investments in Kegogi and Nyakoe markets, roads and the rehabilitation and expansion of the Kisii water supply network are creating opportunities for traders, farmers and families,” she said.

First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto said women were taking advantage of such opportunities to earn incomes, support their families and build sustainable businesses.

“They did not begin with large businesses or large amounts of capital. They began with an idea, a commitment to work together and the courage to start,” she added.

The First Lady said President William Ruto was committed to ensuring that development was not only discussed at the national level but also felt across the counties.

She cited investments in trade, housing, healthcare, water, education and infrastructure in Nyamira, including the construction of the Ikonge Modern Market.

The Government has also advanced the Affordable Housing Programme, including plans for housing development in Sironga, which First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto said would create opportunities for families, young people and local businesses.

Other investments include the development of Nyamira University, the Nyamira Last Mile Water Supply Project and plans to upgrade Nyamira County Referral Hospital.

As part of her engagement with communities, First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto also distributed blankets, boxes of soap, mattresses and avocado seedlings to families and community members.

Kisii Governor Simba Arati said he was among the beneficiaries of First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto’s table-banking initiative when he was selling groceries in Nairobi.

Mr. Arati recalled approaching First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto for financial support, which he said helped boost his business.

He pledged to support the initiative in appreciation of the support he received.

Governor Arati also said the county had installed street lighting in markets to enable traders, including women, to operate for longer hours.

Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Janda described First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto as a champion of women’s empowerment and pledged to work with Joyful Women to register more women into table-banking groups.

The spouse of the Nyamira Governor, Emily Nyaribo, urged women to join self-help groups, saying collective action had enabled many women to improve their financial wellbeing.

She also called on women to promote peaceful campaigns ahead of the General Election, urging them to encourage young people to shun political violence.

“We are the ones to take care of the generation and, as women, we should be in the frontline in preaching peace,” she said.

Joyful Women CEO Elizabeth Kosgei said women across the counties had benefited from table banking, which she said was helping them build a culture of saving, investment and financial independence.