The inaugural Kisumu City Run 2023 is set to be a boon for the region’s businesses, as 5,000 runners are expected to visit Lakeside County to take part in the historic footrace.
The race will be part of the Kisumu Tourism Week 2023 celebrations running from September 23–27 at the Kisumu Sports Ground.
Traders from the region are set to experience a business boom as the county government, in collaboration with partners, organised five-day business exhibitions and a stakeholder workshop to provide an opportunity for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to showcase their activities, products, and services to the audience.
The Deputy Governor, Dr. Mathew Owili, underscored the economic value of investments and tourism for the region’s growth.
In his remarks during a media briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Owili reiterated that as the focus turns to Lakeside City for the first-ever road race competitions, the business expo would offer a great opportunity for businesses to showcase to a large audience for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
“The conference and exhibitions will ignite entrepreneurship in the region, where investors will gain valuable insights to explore innovative ways of integrating sustainability into the latest trends in the tourism sector,” he stated.
The Directorate of Tourism, through sponsorship from Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), Athletics Kenya Nyanza North Branch, Lake Victoria Tourism Association (LVTA), and the Tourism Board, among other partners, are supporting the event celebrated alongside the United Nations World Tourism Day marked on September 27.
The occasion seeks to enhance awareness among the local and international community about the importance of green investment and tourism for social, cultural, political, and economic value.
Speaking at the same event, the Regional Manager, KIRDI Western Region Centre, Mr. Jackis Auka, lauded the collaboration with the county government to bring together 1000 exhibitors with the aim of promoting local products and services.
The business expo will feature entrepreneurs in the energy, food and beverage, textile, mining, hospitality and tourism, agribusiness, medical, education, and construction sectors. Others targeted are those dealing in mechanical and electrical engineering, telecommunications, media, forestry, transport, utility companies, trade associations, and financial institutions.
Mr. Auka noted that the event is in line with KIRDI’s core mandate of fostering industrialization through supporting industrial research, development, and innovation.
“We will lead the exhibitions to create a platform for businesses around Kisumu and the entire region to display their diverse products and even meet potential partners, clients, and financiers,” he stated.
Consequently, Mr. Auka added that KIRDI is committed to realising the industrial revolution for socio-economic transformation as envisioned in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
According to LVTA representative Vivian Kobe, the hospitality industry in the 14 membership counties has played a focal point in marketing Western Kenya as a tourism destination.
She pledged the association’s commitment to fully supporting and participating in the upcoming event.
At the same time, she urged the locals, visitors, and participants to take advantage of the occasion and explore the attractive scenic sites across the Western Kenya tourism circuit.
“There are so many tourist attraction sites around this place including lake excursions, bird watching, Kit Mikai, which is one of our iconic sites, and the Kisumu National Museums, where you will find the dala experience that will wow you in terms of the culture of the Luo people,” Kobe said.
The organisers have also planned for tree planting and clean-up activities on Saturday, September 23, aiming at greening Lakeside City and making Kisumu a vibrant and eco-friendly tourism destination.
The exercise targets planting 500,000 tree seedlings on that day in bold steps towards conserving the environment.
By Robert Ojwang’
