Kenya Industrial Estate Boosts Migori Entrepreneurs with Training and Mentorship Programs

AWENDO, Kenya — The Kenya Industrial Estate (KIE) is spearheading initiatives to support women and young entrepreneurs across Kenya, with a recent focus on Migori County, as highlighted by KIE Board Chairperson Ms. Lilly Ng’ok. Speaking at an entrepreneurs training forum in Awendo Sub County, Ng’ok underscored KIE’s role as a pivotal financial institution offering loans at low interest rates to nurture the growth and improvement of Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs).

According to Kenya News Agency, the training session aimed to enlighten and mentor entrepreneurs on enhancing their businesses. She stressed the importance of value addition to products and services and the indispensable role of industrialisation and processing in job and wealth creation. Ng’ok urged entrepreneurs, particularly women and youth in Migori, to leverage KIE’s loan facilities for economic empowerment. She highlighted a disparity in loan uptake within the region, noting that Migori has the lowest borrowing from KIE compared to its Nyanza counterparts, Kisii and Kisumu, with disbursements of 11 million, 69 million, and 45 million shillings respectively.

Tom Odhiambo, Awendo Sub County Assistant County Commissioner, praised KIE’s efforts in educating the community about the government’s loan opportunities. He encouraged the local business community to engage with government financing options, including those offered by KIE, the Women Enterprise Fund, and hustler’s funds to foster business growth. Odhiambo also advocated for the establishment of a KIE operational office within Migori County to alleviate the logistical challenges and costs associated with accessing KIE services in neighboring counties.

Entrepreneur Anne Akinyi from Awendo town expressed gratitude for the government’s initiative through KIE in training and mentoring local businesses. She shared concerns over fraudulent financial advisors exploiting the business community and echoed the call for a KIE office in Migori to facilitate easier access to loan services and support the socio-economic empowerment of SMEs.