Kenya sends goods from all 47 counties to Kigali for the EAC MSME trade fair

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Kenya has trucked goods made by small businesses in all 47 counties to Kigali for the 26th East African Community (EAC) MSME Trade Fair, which runs at the Rwandan capital from October 30 to November 8.

Principal Secretary for MSME Development Susan Mang’eni flagged off the consignment on Sunday at the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) Centre of Excellence in Kariobangi, Nairobi, alongside MSEA Director General Henry Rithaa, MSEA said in a statement.

The authority described the ceremony as “another milestone in the Government’s efforts to expand regional market access and strengthen the competitiveness of Kenyan enterprises.”

How many Kenyan exhibitors

Official accounts of the delegation’s size differ. In her own post on the flag-off, Mang’eni said the Kenyan delegation “will comprise over 600 Kenyan exhibitors and will be joined by the Kenya Diaspora in Rwanda.” The State Department for MSMEs Development put the figure at “over 1200 kenyans exhibitors drawn from the country and Diaspora in Rwanda.”

Speaking at the event in a video released by MSEA, Rithaa explained the gap. He said about 600 business owners would travel with the consignment, while slightly more than 600 others, including Kenyans in the diaspora and exhibitors travelling directly, would join them, bringing the total to slightly above 1,200. He said four trucks had collected products from across the 47 counties, and that one more truck was still collecting at the time of the flag-off. From an organising point of view, he told the PS, everything had been done as planned, and the teams had exceeded expectations.

Leather and horticulture in focus

The fair’s theme is “Advancing Regional Value Chains in Leather and Horticulture.” MSEA said it will showcase Kenyan-made products “across leather, horticulture, tea, edible oils, building and construction, and other priority value chains.”

According to MSEA, the PS “reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to facilitating the participation of Kenyan MSMEs in regional trade through strategic partnerships, product quality assurance, logistical support and collaboration with relevant government agencies.” She urged entrepreneurs to use the fair “to secure business orders, establish lasting partnerships and explore opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”

The State Department said Kenyan businesses will hold a Kenya Day at the fair on November 5 to “showcase country’s rich enterprise, innovation and cultural heritage, particularly in leather, horticulture and other priority value chains.” It described the EAC as a market of “over 300 million consumers.”

“This is an opportunity for our MSMEs to open doors to new markets for Made in Kenya products across the East African region and beyond,” Mang’eni wrote.

Weeks of preparation

MSEA had posted updates through the week as goods arrived. On Friday, it said Kenyan micro and small enterprises were gearing up for the fair, and on Saturday that products from enterprises “across the country” were “being assembled for onward transportation” to Kigali.

The Uwezo Fund also said it was preparing for the fair. In Uganda, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives held a debriefing on Friday with selected MSMEs at the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association offices ahead of the same event.

At home, KRA has been promoting simplified tax tools for MSMEs as it tries to bring more small businesses into the tax net.