Eldoret: The Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA) under the State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development has conducted a sensitization forum for its members from the North Rift region on the new Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Authority (MSME) Policy 2025 and the Micro and Small Enterprise Amendment Bill 2025.
According to Kenya News Agency, the policy aims to harmonize all regulatory frameworks affecting the MSME sector by promoting formalization, fostering an entrepreneurial culture, and enhancing skills development for MSMEs. During the forum held in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu, Tom Maruti, Team Lead for MSEA and Director for Hustler Fund, highlighted that the amendments to the previous MSEs ACT 2012 are designed to foster growth within the sector, enabling transitions to medium enterprises. The amendments focus on strengthening the legal, policy, and regulatory environment, promoting formalization, improving infrastructure access, enhancing market access, and encouraging innovation and research.
Maruti clarified the categorization of enterprises: Micro Enterprises have an annual turnover of less than Sh1 million, Small Enterprises between Sh1 million and Sh5 million, and Medium Enterprises between Sh5 million and Sh25 million. He emphasized that the reviewed MSME policy will align and amend the MSME Act of 2012.
The rationale behind the policy formulation is threefold: addressing issues identified under the previous MSEs policy of 2020, integrating new MSME support approaches such as value chain approach and cluster development, and addressing emerging issues through literature review and international commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Grace Maureen Chogo, the Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Registrar, noted that if the new policy is passed into law, it will address challenges such as entrepreneurial culture, skills capacity for MSMEs, access to markets, and financial services. The policy also aims to tackle gender equality, social inclusion, and market expansion through trade agreements.
MSEA North Rift Regional Director CPA Alton Kogo reaffirmed the Authority’s dedication to promoting MSMEs to support the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). Ainabkoi Deputy County Commissioner Henry Rop emphasized the sector’s vital role in Kenya’s economy, providing employment to approximately 14.5 million people and contributing significantly to the GDP.
Richard Opar, Secretary General of the Uasin Gishu Jua Kali Association, expressed support for the new policy and amendments, stating that they will enable MSEA to advocate more effectively for the Jua Kali sector. He praised the government’s efforts to simplify formalization processes, promote skills development, and introduce employment projects like Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) and The National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA).