“When people come together, great things happen”. As with many chamas, the members need to have a common goal they are working towards. They may come together to invest in land, build houses or simply saving for individual projects (merry-go-round). The following are great investment opportunities or chama members to consider

Land/Real Estate
In Kenya, there is a growing demand for housing and to become a land owner. Town are growing and there is a rise in residential property values. This trend is making real estate a profitable venture. Chamas can decide to buy large chunks of land, divide them into smaller portions, and sell after a year or less. Returns can be as high as 100% or even higher within a few years. Some chamas can also do the same, but rather than sell, sub divide to their members. Other chamas even go a step further and develop these parcels of land either for sale or for their members. Currently, there is still demand for housing for low and middle-income communities.

Stock Market
A good wa for a chama to diversify their investment portfolio is by investing in the Stock Market. Chamas can invest their money in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) through licensed stockbrokers and investment banks. In this way, they manage to spread their risk across multiple companies and sectors. Stocks are highly liquid, as such, it makes it easier for chamas to manage their investments and react quickly to changes in the market. Stocks can be easily bought and sold. Many stocks pay dividends, with such, chamas are assured of a steady income stream. Being highly fluid, the returns can be reinvested or distributed to members.

Farming
Farming is all about getting your land to work for you. Come what may, the whole population has to eat. As a chama, perhaps you have some land somewhere, before you decide what to do with it ether sell it off or develop it, you can make it into a produce farm. Such can bring even millions for you members. If you don’t have land, you can opt to lease land and still make a lot of profit. Investing in a farm allows you to speculate on the price of food, which is something the country will always need. Often farming as a business requires little initial capital but in the harvest, has huge returns.

Business
Chamas can choose to support local businesses in their community. This provides the chama with an opportunity to participate in their growth as well as earn returns on their investments. Small business investments can take the form of equity investments, loans, or crowdfunding campaigns.The other way is a Chama may choose to offer loans to any local business, and in return the business pays it back with an applied interest over a period of time.

As with any investment plan, one has to conduct adequate research on the venture. Also judge the risks involved on top of looking at the returns. Before any investment undertaking, ensure all the members are on-board with the plan and willing to share the risk.