Abstract:
Microfinance institutions, especially the Savings and Credits Cooperative Societies (SACCOS)
have been established to improve people's livelihood through provision of collateral-free loans.
However, there are various constraints related to their operations. Studies reveals lack of use
of ICTs in SACCOS as one of serious constraint, and for few SACCOS that has computerized
systems it was discovered that most of the systems in use had poor design, were insecure, and
had limited accessibility for remote users. Besides, it was realized that exposing information
systems to the internet cloud invites security threats such as denial-of-service attack, man-inthe middle attack, and unauthorized access via password guessing and theft. Further, SACCOS'
operational constraints lead to many problems related to customer information management
and portfolio tracking. This study, therefore,focused on designing a secure system for customer
information and portfolio tracking in SACCOS. Different methods and techniques were
adopted for data collection and presentation. These include interviews and direct system
observations. Diagrams, charts and screenshots have been used to demonstrate the results. A
web-based system model was developed as a remote user accessibility solution. Effectiveness
of the developed system was assessed in terms of its effectiveness in customer information
management and portfolio tracking. More than 75% (on average) of all users who participated
in evaluating the system said that it is user friendly, secure and appropriate for SACCOS needs.
Secure passwords and Web VPN through SSL protocol was deployed to enhance system
security.
