BY MANUEL ODENY
Migori journalists have organised a funds drive to buy a Matatu to boost their development kitty that has been running since January 2022.
Under the Migori Journalists’ Welfare Group, the team has organised the funds drive slotted for Friday 05, December 2025 at Heritage Annex Hotel in Migori town.
Speaking to Nyanza News in Migori Town this evening the group chairperson Ms. Norma Achieng’, who is the reporter for Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) in Migori said the funds drive will see the group realise a dream to buy a Toyota Hiace GL-2017.
From January 2022, Migori journalists in a bid to empower themselves economically following constraints on the media landscape caused by COVID-19 vulgarities decided to form the welfare.
“After the international pandemic the media landscape across the globe faced major constraints of job loss, salary fluctuations and general depression which made us come together to offer a shoulder for each other,” Achieng’ said.
The group started from a WhatsApp group and controlled Mpesa contribution after each month with strategic investment in buying rice from Lower Kuja Irrigation Scheme and selling to government through Local Purchase Orders and proceedings being shared at the end of the year.
“In the first year we managed to collectively raise about Sh400,000 which have us the impetus to scale up in the following years,” Achieng’ said.
She said pushed by the Mpesa annual statement the group pushed it up the following year and before the end of this year managed to form an official group and get government approvals and joining mainstream banking.
Timothy Mbaya, the group secretary and a freelance journalist said members in a recent event approached the CS National Treasury and Economic Planning Hon. CPA John Mbadi- EGH and Migori Governor H.E Dr. Ochillo Ayacko when they were leaving in a chopper and got an audience for the funds date.
“Collectively we know what we have in our accounts and pending LPOs from trading isn rice farming will give us a head start to push our dream to the next level,” Mbaya said.
The two said the group has also invited close to 50 guests, including informal groups across the county to help them reach their dream.
Celeatine Mwango, the group’s treasurer and KBC Reporter in Migori said they have already sought official quotations of the vehicle from car bazaars in Nyanza and across the country.
“We plan to convert the vehicle into a hearse and seek a bank banking to make it operational,” she added.
The vehicle they have settled on is a TOYOTA HIACE GL-2017: √Petrol/Diesel, √3,000cc, √Automic, √18 Seater, √High Roof and √Dark Blue.
R.S.V.P Ms. Celestine Mwango 0723410535
