Building a Supportive Business-Enabling Policy Environment for Kenyan MSMEs

My name is Elisha Bwatuti, and I am passionate about changing the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Sector in Kenya through policy advocacy.

I am the Program Coordinator for the Kenya Small Business Development Centres Kenya (SBDC) program, a USAID-funded Program being implemented by Strathmore University. This program aims to set up varied development centres supported by the national and county governments, private sectors and other not-for-profit organizations to enable businesses to participate fully in the economy and create jobs.

Before joining the program, I had been a livestock farmer and was very vocal in advocating for policy change in the sector. That is how I partially got scouted for the program to influence change not only in agriculture but also in the larger MSMEs sector.

I have been in this role for the past year now and one of the greatest milestones was having the Governor’s roundtable discussions. The discussions aimed to convince the county governments to buy into this program and see it implemented in various countries.

The State of MSMEs in Kenya

Going into this program, we realized that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises from other counties are not getting the same support as counties like Nairobi; so we came in to give high-quality business development support.

The Kenya SBDC program started in 2021 and is set to run through to 2026. So far, we are in six counties: Kisumu, Isiolo, Nakuru, Makueni, Mombasa, and Kiambu, also known as the Prosper Counties by USAID due to their high economic potential, effective governance practices, and a commitment to creating an enabling business environment.

Our Key Objectives are:

• To set up an accredited network for these development centres
• To establish support and sustainability mechanisms for the development centres. This is to ensure that they continue to support businesses even after the program ends
• To help expand export markets for the businesses, both regionally and globally
• To have at least 40 per cent of women, youth and people living with disabilities as beneficiaries and represented in leadership positions at the business centres.

Why Working with the Government is Critical

For most of our strategies, we need to work closely with the National and County governments. Good policies make it easy to provide guidance in implementing various strategies that help small businesses.

For instance, in partnership with the Kisumu County Department of Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock and Fisheries, we have participated in the development and are committed to supporting the implementation of the Kisumu County Youth in Agribusiness Strategy. The strategy seeks to streamline the activities of the youth in the agribusiness sector through mentorship programs and offering financial support.

The biggest lesson I have learnt in my role is that knowledge and information is power. These two will help businesses run sustainably, digitally market their products and services, understand which institutions to seek loans/grants from and so forth.

About the Kenya Small Business Development Centres (Kenya SBDC)

The Kenya Small Business Development Centres Program is a USAID- funded Program being implemented by Strathmore University Business School with a mandate to champion both public and private-sector-led development to enable SMEs to participate fully in the economy and create jobs.

This will be achieved through the establishment of an accredited network of Kenyan Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Centres, supported by the national and the county governments, the private sector, institutions of higher learning, business associations and other not-for-profit organizations. Learn more about the Kenya SBDC Program here

Article by Elisha Bwatuti, Program Coordinator, Kenya Small Business Development Centres Program

This article was first published in the ePrenuer Magazine, Issue no 38.

Would you like to share an article? Write to us at sbscommunication@strathmore.edu