KUSCCO has been at the centre of one of the biggest financial scandals to hit Kenya's cooperative sector, with billions of shillings lost or put at risk and former officials facing investigations.

Now, its housing arm is taking on a new name.

A notice sent to members says KUSCCO Housing Co-operative Society Ltd has rebranded as You and Me Housing Co-operative Society Ltd, following a Special General Meeting held on September 10, 2025.

The name you will probably be seeing is U&M Housing.

The society says the change is simply a rebranding exercise and that members' rights, savings, shares, loans, contracts and obligations remain unchanged.

But the timing of the change is worth noting because KUSCCO Housing has also been caught up in the wider problems surrounding KUSCCO.

Read: Affordable Housing in Kenya

What happened to KUSCCO?

KUSCCO, the umbrella body for savings and credit co-operatives, ran into serious financial trouble after a forensic audit by PwC uncovered extensive irregularities.

The audit found about KSH 13.3 billion in losses and financial irregularities, leaving KUSCCO with a KSH 12.5 billion deficit. The problems included questionable loans, unexplained withdrawals, conflicts of interest and manipulation of financial records.

The audit also found that financial statements had apparently been signed using the name of an auditor who had already died.

The findings were serious enough for the government to hand the forensic report to the police for investigation and possible prosecution. Former KUSCCO officials have since faced criminal charges related to the alleged financial misconduct.

The impact has not been limited to KUSCCO itself.

Hundreds of SACCOs had placed money with the organisation, leaving their funds exposed.

KUSCCO has since been trying to recover the money through loan repayments, asset sales and other measures.

By December 2025, it said it had paid affected SACCOs KSH 369.3 million and was targeting recovery of at least 70 percent of the KSH 8.8 billion principal invested by SACCOs.

Read: Properties Under KSH 10.5 Million

What about KUSCCO Housing?

KUSCCO Housing, a subsidiary of KUSCCO, was involved in products such as mortgages, plot purchases and housing developments. Its operations have also come under scrutiny following the wider KUSCCO investigation.

In December 2025, Business Daily reported that a dispute over the ownership and control of KUSCCO Housing had prompted the Commissioner for Co-operative Development to order a review of the housing society's ownership and financial dealings.

KUSCCO claimed it owned 70 percent of the housing society, while the housing unit's directors disputed the claim.

The dispute was taking place alongside concerns over approximately KSH 1.69 billion in financial exposure linked to the housing business.

The PwC audit had also flagged irregular lending within KUSCCO Housing and the former KUSCCO Housing Fund.

So, what does the name change mean?

The society says the name change does not wipe out existing agreements or investments.

Your savings do not disappear because of the name change.

Existing loans remain loans. Contracts remain in place, and the society says member rights and obligations remain unchanged.

What it does show is that the housing arm is moving forward under a new identity at a time when its relationship with KUSCCO is being questioned and reviewed.

What should members take from all this?

The bigger issue is not really the new name.

It is who controls the housing society, what assets and liabilities it has, and how members' money is being managed.

For anyone who has savings, a mortgage, shares, land or another investment connected to the former KUSCCO Housing, it makes sense to keep all original agreements and payment records and pay attention to official communication from the society and the regulator.

The KUSCCO scandal is also a wider lesson for Kenya's cooperative and property sectors.

Housing cooperatives can provide an important route to home ownership and land, but members are putting their money into an organisation, not just buying a piece of property.

That makes good governance, proper financial controls and transparency just as important as the house or land being offered.