President William Ruto has reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to strengthening micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as a key driver of economic transformation and regional integration.
Speaking on Tuesday during the official opening of the 25th East African Community (EAC) MSME Trade Fair at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, President Ruto said the MSME sector remains the “engine of job creation, innovation and industrial growth,” driving shared prosperity across the continent.
“This gathering validates the central role of MSMEs as pillars of our economies. Their resilience, creativity and innovation continue to power industrial growth and employment across East Africa,” the President said.
Highlighting Kenya’s reforms under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), Ruto said that MSMEs sit at the core of national priorities alongside agriculture, affordable housing, healthcare and the digital economy.
“We chose to subsidize production instead of consumption, and the results speak for themselves. Our national yields in key crops have increased significantly,” he said.
Ruto cited the Hustler Fund as a flagship initiative enhancing financial inclusion, revealing that over Ksh80 billion has been disbursed since 2022 to millions of Kenyans previously excluded from formal credit systems.
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“Today, more than two million Kenyans borrow regularly from the Hustler Fund, some accessing up to Ksh150,000 without collateral only their creditworthiness,” he said, adding that the government was working to securitize credit scores as new collateral for youth and women entrepreneurs.
He announced plans to establish County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) in all 47 counties to promote value addition and industrial linkages for small businesses, alongside the Nyota Programme, which will issue grants of Ksh50,000 to over 110,000 youth and disability-led enterprises and provide business training to more than 600,000 entrepreneurs.
“Women are outstanding businesspeople, and this programme will ensure that not less than 50 percent of the beneficiaries are women,” he emphasized.
Ruto lauded the Jua Kali sector for its growing role in the affordable housing programme, noting that artisans have secured contracts worth more than Ksh15 billion for supplying doors, windows and fittings.
“The Jua Kali sector has proven that small enterprises can deliver on big projects, sometimes even better than large companies,” he said.
President Ruto reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to digital transformation, citing progress on the Digital Superhighway, which has already covered 30,000 kilometres of fibre out of the planned 100,000, and digitization of over 23,000 government services on the eCitizen platform.
The regional event, marking 25 years since the signing of the EAC Treaty, brought together leaders, entrepreneurs and development partners from across East Africa under the theme of promoting innovation, trade and inclusive growth for MSMEs.
He hailed the visionary leadership of the EAC’s leaders; Presidents Yoweri Museveni, the late Daniel arap Moi and the late Benjamin Mkapa, whose efforts revived the regional bloc in 1999.
By Juma Ndigo
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