SIAYA, August 2026-Over 400 youth and women in Siaya County have received industrial and business equipment valued at Sh10 million to transform informal community groups into high-yield enterprises.
Distributed through the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) and the World Bank-backed Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) Project, this initiative aims to foster self-sustaining businesses and economic growth.
Empowerment Through Structured Groups
Area Member of Parliament Samuel Atandi, who graced the event as the chief guest, commended the beneficiaries for forming structured groups. He emphasized that organizing into registered entities makes it easier for the government to deliver targeted development assistance.
Atandi noted that the equipment was supplied based on the specific needs requested by the community. He promised that the program would soon expand to cover other sub-counties within Siaya, while urging the current recipients to utilize the tools effectively to maximize profits and elevate their household incomes.
Driving National Job Creation
The KJET Project is a five-year National Government initiative running from 2024 to 2029. Funded by the World Bank, the project spans all 47 counties with the goal of increasing private sector investments, opening market access, and ultimately creating 45,000 sustainable jobs across the country by supporting key enterprise clusters.
MSEA representative Eric Owino echoed the project’s long-term benefits, noting that economic empowerment would help steering youth away from political manipulation and criminal activities.
“His excellency William Ruto has engaged the youths to offer the services example in building the roads , the way we see Atandi doing, the more we enoower the youths the more the issue of goons going away because goonism comes in when youths don’t have anything to do” Owino narrated.
Kelvin Otieno, a beneficiary representative from Ugunja, expressed gratitude on behalf of the groups, stating that the machinery provides a direct pathway to independent income generation.
