When Gituamba Bridge Kasarani C.B.O. helped convene its first table banking group in 2022 with eleven women meeting under a mango tree, few of us expected the model to grow into the network it is today: five separate groups, each meeting weekly in a different corner of Gituamba, now counting 100 active members between them.
Table banking, sometimes called a merry-go-round or chama, works simply: members contribute a fixed weekly amount into a shared pot, and the pot is then loaned out to members on rotation or by request, repaid with modest interest that grows the group's collective savings over time. Our role has been to train treasurers on basic record-keeping, help groups draft simple constitutions, and connect them to affordable digital record-keeping tools.
This year alone, members report cycling over KSh 640,000 through small loans used for school fees, stocking market stalls, buying poultry and dairy inputs, and covering emergency medical costs, money that would otherwise have required a shark loan or a sale of household assets at a loss.
“Before joining, I used to close my vegetable stall for a week whenever I needed to restock because I had no capital. Now I borrow from my group on Monday and my stall is fully stocked by Tuesday.”
— Group treasurer and vegetable trader
Two of the five groups have since registered formally as self-help groups with the Department of Social Development, a step we actively encourage because it opens access to government-linked funds such as the Uwezo Fund and Women Enterprise Fund.
We are currently supporting a sixth group forming in the section near the primary school and welcome any woman in Gituamba interested in joining an existing circle to reach out through our Contact page.
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