Machakos: The Government has called for a shift in the way enterprise support programmes measure success, urging a focus on business growth, job creation, and poverty reduction rather than solely on repayment rates. Principal Secretary for MSMEs, Susan Mang’eni, emphasized the need for funds like the Uwezo Fund to expand their criteria for success beyond repayment rates to include sustainable businesses and employment, during a two-day retreat of the Uwezo Fund Oversight Board and Management.
According to Kenya News Agency, Mang’eni highlighted that even if a supported business does not survive long-term, beneficiaries can acquire valuable entrepreneurial skills and experiences, better preparing them for participation in the broader economy. ‘Repayment should not be the only measure of success. We must look at the businesses that have grown, the jobs created, and the livelihoods transformed,’ Mang’eni stated. She also mentioned that the State Department is developing a framework to help returning diaspora Kenyans invest their skills and capital gained abroad into local enterprises, pointing out that remittances are a significant source of foreign exchange.
Additionally, Mang’eni called on enterprise funds to expand their targeting beyond constituencies to include demographic, sectoral, and diaspora groups. Uwezo Fund Board Chairperson Anne Njuguna stressed the importance of accelerating the adoption of technology and Artificial Intelligence, in alignment with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, while ensuring responsible application. Njuguna advocated for decisions to be based on data and evaluation and for strengthened monitoring to ensure tangible outcomes for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Moreover, she urged deliberate partnerships with government agencies, the private sector, and development partners to mobilize resources and expand markets. CEO Peter Lengapiani noted that the retreat aims to review policies, operations, compliance, and impact, resulting in resolutions on governance, innovation, and operational efficiency. The retreat is anticipated to fortify Uwezo Fund’s role as an enterprise development vehicle, ensuring that resources entrusted to the Fund translate into sustainable businesses, employment opportunities, and improved livelihoods for beneficiaries.
