Nakuru County government has instituted new legislative and administrative policies that seek to spur the development and growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The County has already brought on-board and recognised SMEs as a key pillar of its operations pointing to their role and contribution towards poverty reduction, employment, and income generation at the bottom level of the economic pyramid.
The new measures seek to align county development and business activities with the National government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) towards economic revival with SMEs as the core of its focal point.
Currently, SMEs average a contribution of 30 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product spread across all sectors of the economy.
The County has already established directorates of Trade, Business Support, Industrialisation, Entrepreneurship, and Cooperatives, and Public Participation and Citizen Engagement to create a structure to serve SMEs even at Ward levels.
Governor Susan Kihika in a speech read by Naivasha Sub-County Administrator Kingori Mwangi said in collaboration with members of the County Assembly have enacted various laws which will create a conducive environment for SMEs.
Kihika said the county is in the process of establishing a Single Business Permit concept which will enhance efficiency in business licensing with approvals guaranteed within 48 hours.
The Governor said her administration is undertaking business development services to SMEs through entrepreneurship training, business coaching, digital literacy, and financial literacy through collaboration with institutions such as Strathmore University.
“The legal and administrative structures we have instituted will create a conducive environment for SMEs and investors to establish and operate businesses in the County,” said Kihika.
Kihika said Nakuru County has been selected as one of the counties in which the Government is set to establish Small Business Development Centres (SBDCs) to spur SMEs.
Additionally, Kihika said the planned construction of Egerton Agro-Industrial Park which sits on 250 acres of land will transform Nakuru County into an industrial hub where local techno-savvy youth, women, professionals, and investors will interact to create a platform for “Made-in-Nakuru” manufacturing and innovations.
The governor said the county has already floated tenders for the Egerton Agro City Park and tens of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) with a planned commissioning set for July this year.
She said once completed, the park will attract banks, hotels, housing estates, and industries whose net effect will be far-reaching with economic and social benefits to boot.
Kihika said the county will also host a second Energy Park spearheaded by Kenya Electricity and Generation Company (KenGen) in Naivasha.
She lauded the National government for designating Naivasha town as an industrial city which she noted will transform the county into an industrial hub and economic powerhouse in the region.
“We have benchmarked with the best countries on the formulation, adoption, and implementation of policy, the legal and institutional framework for development and growth of SMEs,” said Kihika.
To enhance the trading environment, Kihika said the county has pumped millions of shillings towards market upgrade programme including Naivasha wholesale market at Sh600 million, the ultra-modern market in Nakuru City at Sh600 million construction) and the Sh 240 million Naivasha Market.
The markets will provide traders and business operators with a clean business environment to conduct their business and boost their incomes.
Kihika said her administration also has put plans to revive and restore agriculture through capital investments and the application of technology to make farming an income-generating activity.
So far, the county has registered 21 cooperatives, trained leaders and members of 85 cooperatives, and provided audit services to more than 105 cooperatives which will turn around the fortunes of farmers.
To revamp the growth of pyrethrum and avocado farming, Kihika said the county will distribute pyrethrum seedlings to 1,400 farmers and 106,000 avocado seedlings to farmers in the County.
She said the county is also educating potato farmers to grow the right varieties of potatoes to meet the growing demand in the market of up to 14 tons a day. The county has also distributed 220, 560 bags of fertiliser to 34,708 farmers in the County at a cost of Sh3, 500 which cushioned them from increased prices.
By Erastus Gichohi
