SITPA Set To Transform SACCO Landscape

A groundbreaking professional association dedicated to empowering SACCO IT professionals has been officially launched to address the urgent need for skilled technology leadership in the cooperative financial sector. The SACCO IT Professionals Association (SITPA) represents the first dedicated body championing the growth, innovation, and excellence of IT professionals working within SACCOs across the region.

The formation of SITPA comes at a crucial time when SACCOs face mounting pressure to modernise their technology infrastructure while managing increasing cyber threats and rising member expectations. The association was established to unite SACCO IT experts under one professional umbrella, enabling knowledge sharing, standardisation of best practices, and collaborative problem-solving for challenges unique to SACCO IT environments.

“The pace of digital transformation, cyber threats, and member expectations make it critical that SACCOs’ IT professionals have a strong, organised voice—there’s no better time than now,” said SITPA leadership in announcing the launch.

One of SITPA’s most ambitious goals is to bring SACCOs into the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The association plans to upskill SACCO IT professionals to design, deploy, and maintain AI solutions specifically tailored to SACCO operations, including:

• Intelligent chatbots for enhanced member service
• AI-based loan scoring systems
• Predictive analytics for business intelligence
• Advanced fraud detection mechanisms

By building capacity within SACCO IT teams, SITPA aims to enable SACCOs to adopt AI technologies confidently and cost-effectively, ensuring they remain competitive in the rapidly evolving financial services landscape.

SITPA membership is open to IT professionals who work directly with SACCOs, whether full-time, part-time or as consultants. Prospective members must hold relevant IT qualifications or demonstrate significant IT experience in SACCO environments.

Registration details come with a special 2025 offer on M-Pesa Paybill: 880100 (Account Name: PAYSITPA). Members registering this year will only pay the annual subscription fee starting from their second year with the standard fee being a registration fee of Kshs 5,000 and an annual subscription fee of Kshs 5,000 (applicable to members joining after 2025).

SITPA has outlined an ambitious partnership strategy that includes collaboration with:

• Cybersecurity firms to enhance member training and develop secure SACCO systems
• AI and cloud technology providers offering SACCO-optimised solutions
• Universities and training institutes for professional certification programmes
• Professional associations and regulatory bodies to align industry standards
• Fintech companies to integrate SACCOs into broader digital financial ecosystems

These partnerships ensure SACCO IT professionals gain exposure to leading technologies and industry best practices.

With their mission to empower SACCO IT Professionals through innovation, integrity, and collaboration to drive excellence in digital transformation, and a vision to help SACCOs effectively address the most pressing challenges through collaboration, collective action, and more innovative technology adoption, the association operates on core values of Innovation, Integrity, Accountability, Professionalism, and Collaboration.

While SITPA functions as a professional body, its members’ work falls under existing regulatory frameworks, including SACCO regulatory authorities (such as the SACCO Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) for overall SACCO compliance and national data protection authorities for data privacy and security. SITPA will complement these frameworks by setting professional standards and ethical guidelines specifically for IT practice in SACCOs.

The launch of SITPA marks a significant milestone for the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) industry. For the first time, SACCO IT professionals will have a dedicated body championing their professional development and innovation capabilities.

This development promises to deliver substantial benefits to the SACCO sector, including:

• Better-designed and more efficient systems
• Stronger cybersecurity measures
• Faster adoption of emerging technologies like AI
• More resilient IT infrastructure
• Improved services for millions of SACCO members

SITPA plans to achieve its vision through:

• Creating platforms for collaboration, peer support, and knowledge-sharing
• Offering ongoing training and professional certifications
• Advocating for SACCO-friendly technology policies
• Promoting standardised, secure IT practices across SACCOs