Laikipia partners with KEBS to Support SMEs

Nanyuki,

Friday October 13, 2023

KNA by Muturi Mwangi

Laikipia County has partnered with Kenya Bureau of Standard (KEBS) to support local Small and Medium Business Enterprise (SMEs) and accelerate their growth.

Laikipia county Chief Officer in charge of Trade Samuel Njuki, speaking during a SMEs workshop on KEBS standardisation and certification process in Nanyuki said that local manufactures had challenges of selling their products due to lack of statutory bodies stamps.

“Reason for this workshop is because our local manufacturers have had a hard time since they can’t sell their products in supermarkets and other outlets due to lack of KEBS certification,” said Njuki.

The Chief Officer said the partnership aimed to ensure local SMEs involved in the production process were trained and equipped with knowledge on KEBS certification and products quality requirements targeting to boost business growth.

“We have partnered with KEBS to train SMEs on how they can certify their products at grassroots without them having to travel outside the county to seek services of legalizing their products with statutory agencies,” he noted.

The chief officer further pointed out that supporting SMEs on acquiring marks of quality was to enable them tap opportunities and be able to sell their products at the Rumuruti industrial park after its completion.

KEBS quality assurance officer Simon Chomba said that after SMEs had acquired certifications, they were better positioned to market their products locally and internationally.

“We are delighted to train SMEs on how to register their businesses so that we have them in our market. Majority of them lacked the information on how to register for KEBS but now they know,” said Chomba.

He said that some SMEs had challenges with registration charges, but the county government was committed to funding them.

He said that with the partnership with the county, they would evaluate SMEs case by case basis to ensure they were able to access the market and sell their products easily.

The standardisation officer warned that all products in the market were required to have marks of quality stamps, aimed at protecting consumers from purchasing counterfeit goods.

Chomba encouraged those already undergoing the workshop on KEBS registration requirement to get registered.

The county Director of Trade Ms Cecilia Maina said that the county had an array of products from honey, cactus wine production, bakery among other products, thus traders needed to get registered with the legal bodies to access the market.

George Macharia, a local manufacturer, urged KEBS to monitor SMEs in the county, aimed at controlling counterfeit products in the market, while also calling on the government to support innovators and create job opportunities.

“I would like the government to intervene on innovation and prevent the entry of counterfeit goods in the market to spur the economy, create job opportunities,” said Macharia.

Jecinta Mwangi, a youth said he had challenges on raising funds for certification process, amidst fear of their products being rejected due to poor quality, which has now been solved by KEBS and county government on their commitment to support SMEs.

In the workshop, various SMEs showcased their products they make within the county.

Courtesy; KNA