Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Permanent Secretary Susan Mang’eni and Uwezo Fund Board chairperson Anne Njuguna addressing the press in Machakos county on January 23, 2026.

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises PS Susan Mang’eni has recommended a law amendment to allow the Uwezo Fund to support individual entrepreneurs.

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Speaking during the Uwezo Fund Oversight Board and Management strategic retreat in Machakos on Friday, Mang’eni said there was a need to introduce a retail model so that the Fund does not only provide cash but also supports beneficiaries beyond financing.

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With the proposed policy change, the PS said the Fund would finance enterprises, connect them to markets and support branding and packaging of products.

 According to the instruments that established the Uwezo Fund 11 years ago, it was designed to support only organised and registered groups.

“Our funding model was group-based and wholesaling. We advanced loan facilities to organised groups at the grassroots, after which group members lent among themselves,” she said.

The PS added that under the policy, the minimum amount advanced to beneficiaries was Sh50,000, which they were required to repay and grow over time.

Mang’eni said borrowing limits for such groups increased gradually to a maximum of Sh500,000.

“Today, we live in a world with many emerging opportunities. What Sh50,000 could do at the beginning of our Uwezo Fund journey 10 years ago is very different from today. For instance, a group of 100 women sharing Sh50,000 among individual enterprises illustrates the challenge,” she said.

She said the current funding model had resulted in underfunding of beneficiaries’ businesses.

“This has prompted us as a board, the ministry and government as a whole to review our financial products and align them with current financial needs and the demands of entrepreneurs,” Mang’eni said.

She said when the Fund was launched, the nature of businesses to be funded was not considered, as the only qualification was registration as a group.

“However, as we move towards a value-chain approach, we want to support businesses or ideas with growth potential—enterprises that can expand from micro to small and medium, creating sustainable livelihoods and job opportunities, especially for young people,” she said.

Mang’eni said the Fund aimed to support enterprises that grow sustainably, rather than offering short-term relief or survival entrepreneurship.

Members of the Uwezo Fund Board and management concluded the three-day strategic retreat by reaffirming their commitment to strengthening governance, enhancing performance and advancing innovative financing solutions to empower women, youth and persons with disabilities.

The PS commended the board and management for what she termed in-depth deliberations, noting that the engagements reflected strong stewardship and a shared vision for the Fund’s future.

The retreat focused on reviewing the Fund’s performance, assessing progress in implementing its Strategic Plan, and identifying practical measures to enhance service delivery to beneficiaries in line with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

“We are here as the Uwezo Fund Board from the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSME Development, State Department for MSME Development, to take stock of what we have accomplished over the year ended December 31, 2025,” Mang’eni said.

She added that the retreat was also intended to strategically position the Fund going forward while addressing emerging challenges, trends and opportunities.

Mang’eni noted that such retreats are held annually to reflect on how best to support Kenyans, particularly vulnerable youth, women and persons with disabilities, to improve their livelihoods.

She said the retreat also provided an opportunity for honest reflection, strategic alignment and institutional renewal, adding that the quality of engagement demonstrated the seriousness with which the Board approaches its mandate.

Uwezo Fund Board chairperson Anne Njuguna said the Fund remains a key catalytic financing instrument under the State Department for MSMEs, designed to expand access to affordable credit for youth, women and persons with disabilities at the constituency level.

Njuguna reiterated the Fund’s strategic role in supporting the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, particularly in enabling MSMEs to grow and scale.

She commended the Fund’s support for the Government’s Labour Export Programme by financing Kenyans who have secured employment abroad under the Kazi Majuu initiative.