- Machakos rolls out a new phase of its economic empowerment drive targeting hundreds of community groups.
- Farmers, traders and youth groups are set to benefit from equipment aimed at boosting daily incomes.
- Governor Wavinya Ndeti urges beneficiaries to protect the assets and use them to grow sustainable businesses.
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti launched a countywide economic empowerment programme for 680 groups at Kenyatta Stadium. Wiper leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka was the chief guest. She said her government has chosen substance over political razzmatazz.
The Governor said the initiative, anchored in her Chakula Mezani, Pesa Mfukoni vision, is about giving households real tools to earn daily income rather than one-off handouts. It builds on a previous programme that supported 440 groups. The current phase scales up support to thousands of community, church, women and youth groups across all 40 wards. It also offers targeted support for persons living with disabilities to establish beauty and barbershop enterprises.
The empowerment is also heavily invested in agriculture, which she described as the foundation of food security and household income.
“We have chosen Real Empowerment for our people. We have chosen substance over razzmatazz,” she said.
The county is boosting honey, poultry, dairy and crop production. It is also revitalising coffee and cotton farming and commercialising fish farming at Masinga Dam. These investments add to thousands of seedlings, chicks, milk cans and beehives already delivered.
For small traders, the county is cushioning outdoor traders and boda boda operators from harsh weather. It is also improving safety and hygiene standards. In addition, Jua Kali artisans, quarry workers, shoe shiners and handcart operators will receive protective gear and modern tools to improve productivity and create jobs. Overall, nearly 39,000 small-scale traders are targeted.
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“Real empowerment means equipping a youth group with a car wash machine and a 1,000-litre water tank so they can run an enterprise every single day. We do not give you a fish for a day; we equip you with the tools to earn a living every day. This is what makes this moment special for us all,” Governor Wavinya said.
Under the Machakos County Climate Change Action Plan programme, funded through the County Climate Change Fund and Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA), clean cooking gas cylinders were donated to vulnerable families. Large water harvesting tanks were also issued to schools, to benefit over a hundred thousand learners.
Kalonzo said Governor Wavinya had tried to improve the economic well-being of the people. However, high taxation was denying citizens disposable income.
Governor Wavinya told beneficiaries the equipment should be treated as public investment for economic freedom, not as political gifts. She urged them to protect the assets, work together and grow their businesses. She also reaffirmed her commitment to allocate more resources to asset-based empowerment until every household achieves economic dignity.
By Stephen Muthini
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