The Chairman of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) in Trans Nzoia County, Titus Kilong, has raised concerns over ineffective support systems for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the county.
Kilong’i said although the county government continues to promote financial inclusion and empowerment initiatives, the policies have not translated into tangible benefits for traders.
“We keep hearing about empowerment programs, but SMEs in the market are still asking where the actual roadmap is. There is a big difference between policies on paper and what traders experience every day,” Kilong’i said.
He added that MSMEs continue to face fragmented systems, low awareness of funding opportunities, and weak coordination between national and county governments.
“Most of the support programs are not well coordinated. You find different agencies doing similar things, but the trader on the ground is still confused'” he said.
Kilong’i also highlighted persistent challenges in the agricultural sector, saying farmers remain disadvantaged by weak market systems and poor aggregation structures.
“Farmers are producing a lot, but the challenge is always where to sell and at what price. In places like Trans Nzoia, many producers are still relying on informal markets that do not give them fair value” he said.
He called for stronger aggregation and value-chain systems to improve bargaining power for farmers, adding that structured market linkages would help reduce exploitation by middlemen and enable farmers to scale production more confidently.
“If we had proper aggregation centers and structured market linkages, farmers would not be exploited by middlemen. They would be able to scale production with confidence'” said Kilong’i.
He also criticized what he termed an imbalance between tax enforcement and MSME growth support, arguing that revenue collection efforts should be matched with initiatives that strengthen business capacity.
“Revenue collection is important, but it must go hand in hand with business support,.You cannot keep increasing pressure on SMEs without strengthening their capacity to grow’ ” he said.
