The Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) which is a State Corporation under the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development has formally certified the Kericho Jua Kali Association which comprises of 100 registered members.
According to the Kericho County Enterprise Development Assistant Michelle Aburili, the 100 Jua Kali Artisans and craftsmen will now have access to financial facilities, procurement opportunities and other government interventions aimed at creating resilience during the harsh economic times.
The Enterprise Development Assistant noted that MSEA has been at the front line in transforming the lives of entrepreneurs in Kericho and now the newly registered Kericho Jua Kali Association will access the Constituency Industrial Development Centers (CIDC) which are six in number within Kericho County.
Aburili further explained that the construction and equipping of the CIDCs has been instrumental in providing common user facilities for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE) and promoting industrial development adding that the jua kali artisans could now access the space and equipment at the CIDCs free of charge.
“We have a total number of 600 Jua Kali Artisans in Kericho, but today we have managed to certify 100 who belong to the Kericho Jua Kali Association and so they can now participate meaningfully in our economy,” said Aburili.
During the award ceremony where a certificate was issued to the artisans, Aburili pointed out that a majority of them were dealers in welding, metal work, carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrics, mechanics, textile and baking, among others skills, and now that they are registered, they could compete for government tenders.
“So far, here in Kericho we have 360 MSEs registered under associations and we are currently in the process of rolling out registration of individual MSEs” said Aburili
Meanwhile, the Kericho Jua Kali Association chairperson Mr. Joseph Chepkwony thanked MSEA for giving them formal recognition which he said would boost their enterprises and open bigger opportunities to them.
“We hope the government will continue promoting us even with trainings on other life skills to compliment the skills we have,” added Chepkwony.
The Economic Survey 2022 shows the informal sector employs 15 million Kenyans with skills in artisan work but are not formally certified.