AGRICULTURE Minister Mr Japhet Hasunga has ordered deregistration of 3,436 cooperative unions for noncompliance with the Cooperative Societies Act of 2013.
The minister issued the directive to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies here yesterday, noting that 73.8 per cent of the unions were Savings and Credit Co- Operative Societies (SACCOS).
“I direct the Registrar of Cooperative Societies to announce in the Government Gazette on expectation to deregister the cooperative unions for failure to carry out duties,” said the minister.
Mr Hasunga said a survey by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies established that 3,436 out of 11,149 registered cooperative unions did not comply with the legislation.
“The Registrar of Cooperative Societies is required by law to issue a 90-day notice of the expectation to deregister non-complying Cooperative Societies in the Government Gazette,” said the minister.
He said the list include AMCOS (264) livestock (82) consumers cooperative unions (25), services (72) beekeeping (17), minerals (23) houses (8), fishery (37), irrigation (31), cooperative unions (3) and 235 cooperative societies .
He informed that Mwanza tops the regions with highest number of cooperative societies to be deregistered (393).
Mr Hasunga mentioned other regions as Pwani (335), Kagera (301), Morogoro (301) Arusha (282), Tabora (282), Kigoma (207), Mara (151), Tanga (136), Geita (119), Manyara (116).
He said there was room for any cooperative society that would feel unsatisfied with the decision to appeal within the 90-day notice period.
For his part, Acting Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Dr Benson Ndiege said his office would today submit the announcement to the Government Printer for publication in the Government Gazette.
“The announcement is expected to be published in the Government Gazette after one week,” he said.
