Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development Wycliffe Oparanya.
By Peace Muthoka .
Nairobi, Kenya – August 7, 2025 — The government will carry out a nationwide census of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to improve planning and support for the sector, Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development Wycliffe Oparanya has announced.
Speaking during the launch of the national coordinating committee for the upcoming MSME International Trade Fair, Oparanya said the data will help the government design better policies and channel resources more effectively. The last such survey was conducted in 2016.
“We need to know where these businesses are concentrated to offer proper support in financing, market access, digital growth, and climate resilience,” said Oparanya.
He emphasized that MSMEs are key to the country’s economic transformation and warned that neglecting them could worsen unemployment and unrest. “We can build roads, but without job creation, people will still demonstrate on those roads,” he noted.
To ease financial access, Oparanya cited the rollout of a credit guarantee fund aimed at de-risking loans to small businesses. He also called for closer collaboration between government, regulators, and the private sector to support MSMEs and address concerns, especially around tax enforcement by agencies like KRA.
Oparanya urged organizers of the November 2–3 MSME International Trade Fair in Nairobi to ensure broad participation from both national ministries and regional partners. He encouraged stakeholders to learn from successful global models where small businesses thrive under friendly financing and prompt payment systems.
The ministry also plans to expand the MSME Connect platform to bring together key players from different sectors. Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni said preparations are underway to host a regional MSME trade fair from November 1 to 10, attracting participants from across East Africa.
