Editor's Review

  • Odinga noted that Kenya’s importer nation tag must be changed and the country taken back to its roots where made in Kenya was respected and appreciated. 

ODM Leader Raila Odinga has today shared his plan for Kenya’s Private sector and SMEs under his #Inawezakana initiative where he details his ideas for key sectors in the country.

According to Odinga, in order to build Kenya’s private sector, it is important to invest in education, research and ICT.

Additionally, the former Premier noted that it is important to level the playing field. He opined that he intends to “provide a level playing field between small and medium-size firms and big corporations so that big corporations do not thrive while small ones which could be our future multinational struggle.”

Third on Odinga’s agenda is offering aggressive private sector support. The ODM leader is of the view that aggressive support, state guarantee for private sector borrowing and tariff exemption are key in growing SMEs in the country and giving them a competitive advantage.

The former Premier also intends to come up with a planning body and an award scheme to award excellent exporters and map out how to push their share of African and world market.


File image of ODM Leader Raila Odinga. [Photo: Courtesy]

According to him, most Kenya factories have collapsed with their premises being turned into warehouses for receiving imported goods from China, which he said are of low quality compared to what can be produced locally.

“Industrial Area Nairobi imekuwa ni kama kaburi ya viwanda. Viwanda ambavyo zilikuwa zinatengeza bidhaa zimekuwa magala ya kuhifadhi containers ambayo imetoka Uchina, watu wetu wanaenda Uchina kununua bidhaa ambayo ni low quality wanaleta hapa kuuza,” he divulged.

Odinga noted that Kenya’s importer nation tag must be changed and the country taken back to its roots where made in Kenya was respected and appreciated. This he says is one of his key priorities.

Although Raila is yet to officially announce whether he’ll vie for presidency in 2022, many believe that he his building his foundation and putting together his manifesto through the recent statement he’s been sharing on key policy issues.

So far, he has addressed himself on matter health, security, education and economy among others.