The Uasin Gishu County Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through strategic partnerships aimed at scaling up innovation, market competitiveness, and intellectual property (IP) awareness among local entrepreneurs.
During the closing ceremony of a sensitization workshop held on Friday for Jua Kali artisans and informal apprenticeship associations, County Director for Trade Edwin Korir, representing County Executive Committee Member for Trade and Cooperatives Martha Cheruto, emphasized that economic transformation goes beyond infrastructure and market access.
“Our focus is on ideas, innovation, and the protection and monetization of these ideas. This aligns with Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim’s economic transformation and enterprise development agenda,” Korir said.
He highlighted key initiatives such as the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) and the planned Export Processing Zone (EPZ), which aim to foster agro-processing, value addition, and industrial linkages. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to position Uasin Gishu as a hub of innovation and export-ready production.
The workshop focused on educating MSMEs about intellectual property rights, a key area often overlooked by artisans and small-scale innovators. Over 150 MSMEs attended the session and shared challenges they face in patenting, including limited awareness, complex procedures, and high registration costs.
John Onyango, Managing Director of Kipikenya Institute, underscored the importance of the Jua Kali sector in driving the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). “This sector supports livelihoods and plays a pivotal role in implementing BETA’s five key pillars,” he said.
CPA Alton Kogo from the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) North Rift region also addressed the participants, highlighting national programs such as the NYOTA initiative and the Kenya Jobs for Economic Transformation Project, aimed at empowering and formalizing the informal sector.
County Director for Investment and Industrialization Brenda Rono was also present at the event, signaling strong county support for MSME development.
