This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has taken a bold step to engage with leaders from Central Kenya, ordering them to hold meetings in village barazas instead of hotel boardrooms.
According to Trade and Cooperatives CS Peter Munya, the meetings are part of a major public participation exercise aimed at understanding the core needs of the region.
The exercise follows complaints that President Kenyatta had abandoned the people who gave him overwhelming support since 2013, including the opportunity to be their ethnic leader.
On July 27, 2019, the first set of baraza meetings started in Meru County, led by Munya, who has also been the head of the boardroom meetings.
“(The) Meru meetings (are) to discuss biashara, cooperatives and the Big Four Agenda,” said Munya, who was the first governor of Meru County.
The barazas were held in Kianjai and Mikinduri markets on Saturday, Laare and Mailitatu markets on Sunday, and Mutuati market on Monday, July 29, 2019.
These markets are located in the Igembe and Tigana regions of Meru, meaning more such barazas will be held to accommodate the views of the Imenti region.
The leaders have identified priority areas of focus, including support of entrepreneurship, start-ups, and existing ones, through financing and creating a business environment that will make such enterprises thrive.
Opportunities include sensitization to participate in initiatives like the MbeleNaBiz Business Plan competition, which was launched last week by the Government and the World Bank, under Munya’s Ministry, to award 750 successful applications with grants of either Sh900,000 or Sh3,600,000.
The second core area is on cooperatives, which have been the engines of growth in Mt. Kenya region, enabling farmers and entrepreneurs as well as formal workers to pool resources that are then loaned for development to the members.
