Unaitas Sacco hopes that the branch it opened in Kisii recently will help the firm get more smallholder farmers at the grassroots. 

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Although Kisii has more than 20 financial institutions, Unaitas plans to work closely with small-scale farmers and use the agency banking model. 

The company's chief executive officer, Tonny Mwangi, says the firm will rely on training on savings to reach the target group.   

"We will provide knowledge platforms including partnering with other service providers to ensure farmers are provided with the right information,” he said, as quoted by Daily Nation. 

He added: “It is this understanding that gives us a competitive edge in chama banking. We have an unmatched delivery model for chama financing and capacity building.” 

Launched in 1993 among tea farmers, Unaitas was at first called Murang'a Tea Growers. In 2007, it changed to Muramati, before settling on its current name six years ago. 

The company has 23 branches and about 300,000 members. Its total assets, according to a financial report from last year, amount to Sh13 billion.