KWFT AND NAZAVA PARTNER FOR SAFE WATER ACCESS

On March 18 2025 KWFT and Nazava Water Filters officially signed an MOU to enhance access to safe drinking water for KWFT customers across Kenya. The MOU was signed during an official side event of the State Visit of the King and Queen of the Netherlands to Kenya, marking a significant milestone in efforts to provide affordable and sustainable household water solutions.

Nazava Water Filters, a global leader in household water treatment technology, empowers families by providing innovative filtration systems that can purify their well, tap, river or rain water and make it safe to drink. These filters eliminate the need to boil water, reducing household expenses on fuel, saving time, significantly lowering carbon emissions.

Through this partnership, KWFT customers will have the opportunity to purchase Nazava Water Filters through a flexible financing plan. This will ensure that even low-income households can access clean and safe drinking water preventing the risk of water borne diseases.

KWFT, reaffirmed the institution’s dedication to improving the livelihoods of its customers. “This partnership underscores KWFT’s commitment to enhancing the dignity of our members by providing them access to financing to purchase safer and more affordable drinking water solution” Benson Kitabu, KWFT Managing Director.

Lieselotte Heederik, Co-founder and Director of Nazava Water Filters, highlighted the impact of the collaboration, stating, “We are proud to strengthen our partnership with KWFT, an institution that has consistently strived to improve the dignity of women and promote their financial inclusion. Through this partnership, we are one step closer to our goal of reaching 5 million people with safe drinking water access by 2030.”

Ahead of World Water Day marked on March 22nd, KWFT reaffirms its commitment to ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water for all. Water is essential to life and global action is needed to preserve, protect and provide it sustainably. Through this collaboration, access to clean water has been made possible, advancing SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 3 (Good health and wellbeing) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

KWFT CHAMPIONS GOVERNANCE IN SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING AT GCNK COP TRAINING

On February 20, 2025, KWFT participated in the Communication on Progress (CoP) training hosted by the Global Compact Network Kenya (GCNK). The session was aimed at enhancing corporate accountability, transparency and impact measurement, focused on preparing businesses for the 2025 CoP reporting framework. It also brought together various industry business leaders for insightful discussions.

Representing KWFT, Juliana Wanjiru, General Manager – Innovation, Marketing & Communication shared insights on Governance in CoP Reporting and showcased how effective governance strengthens both CoP reporting, ESG initiatives, long-term business resilience and positive community impact. She also highlighted some of the emerging trends in Governance within Sustainability.

Her presentation showcased KWFT’s commitment to robust governance structures, emphasizing the institution’s proactive board engagement, comprehensive risk management, engagements with ESG Champions and seamless integration of sustainability policies into its core business strategy. 

As a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, KWFT’s underscores its dedication to responsible business practices, aligning with the Ten Principles and contributing to national and global sustainability goals. 

Through proactive board engagement and robust policy frameworks, KWFT ensures accountability in its operations, reinforcing its mission of empowering women while promoting ethical business practices.

KWFT AND WATER.ORG EMPOWERS STAFF THROUGH WASH TRAINING.

In commitment to advancing SDG 6 of providing affordable water and sanitation solutions to communities, KWFT staff participated in a specialized “Trainer of Trainers” (ToT) course at KWFT Centre, Nairobi. The training was organized in partnership with Water.org through the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) program and facilitated by Impact Africa Consulting. 

Taking place on 17th and 18th February 2025 the training aimed to strengthen internal capacity, enabling the ToTs to cascade knowledge to their teams and enhance KWFT’s efforts in promoting WASH solutions across Kenya.

The curriculum focused on equipping staff with comprehensive product knowledge, effective sales strategies, customer engagement techniques and after-sales support methods tailored for WASH products. Key learnings included understanding the functionality and maintenance of WASH products such as water purifiers and rainwater harvesting systems, assessing customer needs to match them with suitable solutions, using digital tools for portfolio management and improving communication to address customer concerns and reduce stigma around loan-financed purchases.

The trainees engaged in hands-on workshops, role-playing exercises, practical demonstrations, strengthening their ability to promote, sell and manage WASH products effectively while ensuring customer satisfaction and long-term sustainability.

Ultimately, this goes a long way in curbing critical societal challenges that disproportionately affect women and low-income households, limiting their socio-economic mobility. Access to safe water and proper sanitation also reduces the time spent fetching water, especially for women and children, allowing more time for education and economic activities. Rainwater harvesting systems and eco-friendly sanitation solutions contribute to climate resilience and environmental sustainability.

KWFT CHAMPIONS MATERNAL HEALTH

On February 14, 2025, KWFT joined other private sector leaders at the inaugural Better Business Practices for Children (BBPC) Champions meeting, hosted by the KEPSA Foundation at Cedars Restaurant in Gigiri, Nairobi. Led by KEPSA Foundation’s Executive Director, Ms. Gloria Ndekei, the meeting provided a platform to discuss the BBPC project’s priorities and the role of champions in shaping organizational policies that support Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN).

A key focus of the ongoing BBPC phase is enhancing workplace environments to support working parents. This includes establishing lactation stations, implementing parental leave policies and offering flexible work arrangements to enable mothers to balance their careers with childcare. The initiative also promotes nutrition awareness and a holistic food systems approach to combat malnutrition.

The representatives exchanged insights regarding their approach to maternal health and their role in supporting parents which leads to long-term benefits to society.

By participating in the BBPC Champions meeting, KWFT’s participation in the BBPC initiative aligns with its broader commitment to gender equity and maternal health. The institution has long advocated for workplace policies that support mothers, including maternity leave provisions and designated mother’s room to facilitate lactation. Additionally, KWFT continues to drive financial inclusion for women, empowering them to invest in their families’ health and education.

KWFT  is delighted to announce its recognition at the 2024 SFI Catalyst Awards, held on 20th November 2024 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Upper Hill, Nairobi.

The SFI Catalyst Awards organized by the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) brought together industry leaders, policymakers and stakeholders to discuss strategies for advancing sustainable finance within the banking sector. There was representation from the National Treasury, KBA, IFC, GIZ and the event was well attended by member banks of Kenya Bankers Association.

Mr Kariuki Kitabu Ag Managing Director was accompanied to the event by GM Marketing – Juliana Wanjiru, GM Human resources – Carol Mungai and Senior Manager Strategy – Vanesa Otonda.

KWFT secured the 2nd position in the Promoting Gender Inclusivity category. This award celebrates financial institutions that demonstrate a strong commitment to gender parity through policy formulation and implementation. KWFT was recognized for its exceptional efforts in empowering women to participate formally in the financial services sector, both in the workplace, marketplace and the community.

KWFT’s achievement at the 2024 SFI Catalyst Awards reaffirms its unwavering commitment to advancing gender equity and sustainability. Through innovative financial solutions, KWFT continues to empower women across Kenya, enabling them to create wealth, build sustainable businesses and improve their livelihoods.