Governance
September 11, 2023
2 minutes read

Nairobi County Needs A Leader Who Knows And Cares About SMEs

Nairobi contributes about 27.5 percent to Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP). It is one of the counties that is backbone…

Nairobi contributes about 27.5 percent to Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP). It is one of the counties that is backbone the of Kenya’s economy, doubling up as the capital city of the country.

Statistics show that 95 percent of businesses in Nairobi are made of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These SMEs employ at least 87 percent of all Nairobians.

Sadly, at least 30,000 SMEs in Nairobi are shutting down monthly. This translates to at least 1,000 SMEs dying daily with no elected leader giving a damn about what might be the cause of so many deaths of small businesses in Kenya’s city on the sun.

The number one killer of SMEs in Nairobi is the cost of doing business. It is not easy to set up a business and run it smoothly in this city. Licenses alone will leave you cursing why you were born in the first place.

Another problem is Nairobi has always gotten clueless Governors. Governors who have no idea how businesses are run and are only interested in collecting revenues without caring whether those who pay are alive or barely breathing.

Governor Johnson Sakaja promised to introduce a single-permit system that will reduce the cost of doing business within and without the city, and, therefore, encourage more businesses.

Immediately after he was elected, the man forgot about that promise and nowadays he is busy whistling on TikTok. SMEs have been left to find their footing. If they die, they die. If they survive, they survive. A sad state of affairs.

One year after the elections Nairobians are already wailing, wishing days run faster so that they can have another Governor, apart from the current one. Perhaps Tim Wanyonyi will be a better option. Perhaps he will come through and be the savior that SMEs in Nairobi have been hoping for. It is time to wake up.