Huduma Kenya has pledged to support micro and small enterprises to grow their businesses from small scale to large scale.
Speaking during the launch of the Countrywide MSME Drive in Vihiga County at the Municipal Grounds in Mbale town, the CEO of Huduma Kenya, Benjamin Kai Chilumo, said Huduma Kenya is composed of 66 stations across the country and offers all government services under one roof.
The drive was organized by the Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, led by Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya, and aimed at taking government services to entrepreneurs in their own counties.
Other organizations present at the forum included the Nyota Fund, Saccos, Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA), Uwezo Fund, Social Health Authority (SHA), and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), among others.
Chilumo said the micro and small enterprises sector is a very important sector in the Kenyan economy because 88 percent of businesses in Kenya are micro and small businesses.
“The small enterprise business sector contributes 40 percent of GDP,” he said, adding that the small business sector has contributed 84 percent of employment opportunities in Kenya.
He said, together with small businesses, Huduma Kenya motivates business owners in the microenterprise sector to work for Kenya.
The CEO said Huduma Kenya can help small entrepreneurs by making it easy for them to register their businesses and holding education sessions in order to grow.
He asked organizations present to educate small entrepreneurs and take them through loans and grants available for boosting their businesses.
He also called for digital technology workshops for the small enterprise entrepreneurs so that they can use technology in their businesses.
He further asked different organizations to teach entrepreneurs about education and advice on businesses to enhance more businesses in the country.
Chilumo asked the micro entrepreneurs to learn about standards and product certification to sell legit items and to engage in authentic businesses.
He urged the relevant organizations to teach entrepreneurs on the availability of markets, value chains, and opportunities for exportation and importation.
The CEO added that it is better for entrepreneurs to visit Huduma Centers since all the required services and education are in one building than walking from one particular office to another across the country.
He asked interested parties to visit their stations since they host all organizations in one building.
“We would love to help entrepreneurs to grow their businesses from small scale to large scale in Kenya,” he finalized.
Meanwhile, youth beneficiaries who have benefited from government funds showcased their success stories during the drive, now operating as CEOs of their own enterprises.
Dawin Dickens from Cheptulu, a beneficiary of the Nyota project who received Sh25,000, said he started a cyber cafe at Cheptulu. With the training from mentors through the Nyota Fund, he has now employed two other people.
Jackton Oktoto from Emuhaya Sub County, who benefited from the Inua Village Textile Project, said he has benefited from the education and has created business and employment for his fellow youth.
He said they are now expecting matching funds soon to bring in machines and expand their textile business.
Francis Mudeki Jidei from Hamisi Sub County has created Hamisi Leather Work Creation. He said they take students from polytechnics and educate them in practical lessons to sharpen their skills.
They also take Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) who specialize in shoe making.
By Florence Oteng’o
