The Sacco plans to revamp its green loan products during the 2026 reporting cycle Mwalimu National chairman Joel Gachari, Co-operatives PS Patrick Kilemi, the sacco’s board member and chairman, finance, credit and information technology committee Nicholas Kariuki, and CEO Kenneth Odhiambo during the launch of Mwalimu National Deposit Taking Sacco’s inaugural Sustainability Report / HANDOUT MWALIMU National Sacco now targets its members in environmental conservation as it embeds Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into its operations and lending activities.
ESG, widely being embraced in the financial sector, is a framework used to assess a company's business operations, ethical practices and sustainability performance, and used by potential investors to make decisions including backing institutions financially. The Sacco says sustainability will increasingly go beyond reducing its own environmental footprint to influencing members and communities through conservation programmes, green finance and greater awareness of climate-related risks.
The approach is anchored in its ESG Policy and a dedicated Sustainability Department established in September 2025. The Sacco plans to revamp its green loan products during the 2026 reporting cycle, supported by eligibility criteria, classification methods and a system for measuring how funds are deployed toward environmental purposes.
The green finance push is expected to give members an avenue to finance activities that contribute to environmental sustainability, while ensuring that products labelled green are backed by measurable sustainability outcomes. Conservation is another major pillar of the strategy.
In 2025, Mwalimu National supported the planting of 17,000 trees through partnerships covering the Aberdare Forest and Nyeri County, Konza and Matsangoni on the Kenyan coast. The programme included 2,000 mangroves planted in partnership with the Matsangoni women’s self-help group, linking environmental restoration with community livelihoods.
In the Aberdares, 14,800 trees were planted, recording a 98 per cent survival rate. The Sacco has set an ambitious target of planting five million trees by 2035. It plans to work with landscape partners on annual planting programmes, including species selection, site preparation, planting schedules and post-planting monitoring.
Survival rates, biodiversity and community outcomes will be tracked rather than simply counting the number of trees planted.