President William Ruto has announced a Ksh.5 billion grant targeting over 100,000 small businesses across Kenya, in a bold move to empower enterprises at the grassroots level.
Speaking during an interdenominational church service at Friends Comprehensive School, Kivaywa, Kakamega County, the President revealed that the government, in collaboration with the World Bank, will disburse Ksh.50,000 each to 70 small business owners per ward — totaling Ksh.3.5 million per ward in all the country’s 1,450 wards.
“This is not a temporary stunt. It is part of our long-term plan to uplift Kenyans at the bottom of the economic pyramid,” Ruto stated.
Flanked by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, CS Deborah Mlongo, and governors Fernandes Barasa, Ken Lusaka, and Johnson Sakaja, the President emphasized unity, economic empowerment, and inclusive development as central pillars of his administration.
Ruto underscored ongoing efforts in agriculture, healthcare, housing, markets, and digital jobs. He urged citizens to enroll with the Social Health Authority (SHA), noting that 4.5 million Kenyans have accessed services worth Ksh.41 billion since October 2024.
On infrastructure, he said work has resumed on stalled roads in Kakamega and the Rironi-Malaba highway project will begin in August. The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) extension from Naivasha is set to start by year-end.
Speaker Wetang’ula praised Ruto’s leadership and unity agenda, while Governor Barasa called for justice in the Albert Ojwang murder probe.
Ruto concluded with a call for cooperation across political divides, asserting, “We cannot build Kenya alone we must do it together.”
