Coop Bank mourns cooperative movement icon Stanley Muchiri

By Gitahi Ngunyi

Cooperative Bank Group is in mourning today following the death of its former chairman and iconic leader in the local, regional and global cooperative movement Stanley Muchiri.

In a condolences message sent to newsrooms, Coop Bank Group said Muchiri died in Abuja, Nigeria where he was attending the ministerial conference of the international cooperative alliance (ICA), Africa where he serves as president.

“We mourn the passing of an icon in the cooperative movement,” said Coop Bank Group chairman John Murugu.

Muchiri has been an outstanding champion and pillar of Kenya’s cooperative movement which he served for 44 years.

Muchiri joined the movement in 1974 when he joined Murang’a District Farmers Cooperative Union in the position of general manager. Under his leadership the union grew to become the most powerful and vibrant coffee cooperative union in Kenya.

“His dedicated service to the movement saw him assume greater responsibility to serve in leadership positions in nearly every key cooperative organisations in Kenya, Africa and the world,” said Murugu in the condolences message.

Muchiri was elected director of Coop Bank in 1986 before rising to the position of vice chairman 1993, Chairman of the bank in 2002, a position he held until his retirement in 2017.

At the time of his death, Muchiri was still active in the cooperative movement where he served as vice president ICA Africa region since 2003.

The banking group said it is working with the Nigerian authorities and Muchiri’s family to handle the tragic and will be sharing more information as and when necessary.