Cabinet Secretary for Co‑operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development, Wycliffe Oparanya, has called for increased investment in small businesses, Saccos and grassroots economic programmes, insisting that government initiatives must translate into tangible benefits for ordinary Kenyans.
Appearing before the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives during deliberations on the 2026/27 Annual Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure on May 21, Oparanya told MPs that the ministry’s programmes are designed to support farmers, traders, artisans, youth entrepreneurs, women in business, SACCO members and small‑scale producers. He stressed that budget allocations must deliver real value at the grassroots.
“In all our programmes, whether through cooperatives or MSMEs, our focus is on the farmer, the trader, the artisan, the youth entrepreneur, the woman in business, the SACCO member and the small producer working to improve their livelihood,” Oparanya said.
In the cooperative sector, Oparanya underscored the importance of strengthening smallholder farmers, particularly in the coffee and dairy value chains. He highlighted aggregation, improved access to credit, value addition and stronger market linkages as key priorities. Oparanya appealed for continued support to interventions such as the Coffee Cherry Fund, coffee seedling programmes and the coffee debt waiver, describing them as critical in cushioning farmers and stabilising production.
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He also noted that the Hustler Fund continues to meet a real need among small traders and low‑income earners, providing affordable credit to those often excluded from formal financing.
Beyond cooperatives, Oparanya called for enhanced support to grassroots enterprise initiatives, including the Uwezo Fund, NYOTA, Kenya Industrial Estates, Constituency Industrial Development Centres, and the East African Community MSME Trade Fair.
Oparanya said these programmes remain vital in driving enterprise growth, industrialisation and market access.
By Masaki Enock
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