Kihika's Blueprint: How Financing, Reforms And Partnerships Are Fuelling Nakuru's Business Agenda

By Suleiman Mbatiah

Nakuru County is banking on new financing tools and business-friendly reforms to drive economic development and youth employment in the regional economic powerhouse.

Under Governor Susan Kihika, the county has systematically expanded affordable financing access for entrepreneurs, SACCOs, and community groups seeking to grow their businesses across the county.

Last year, the County Government of Nakuru unveiled a Sh100 million low-interest credit facility, known as the Wezesha Fund, actively targeting and providing low-interest credit to small businesses and cooperatives.

While touring the Kingdom Business Expo at the Nakuru City Conference Centre, the governor announced the fund would receive a significant financial boost in the current financial year.

The trade fair, organized by Kingdom Business Professionals Forum (KBPF), drew more than 200 exhibitors from finance, construction, investment, hospitality, health, retail, wholesale, and Sacco sectors.

The five-day event blends professional development with spiritual networking, offering exhibitors a marketplace to showcase products, gain insights from world-class speakers, and attend interactive business strategy sessions.

Governor Kihika described the event and the turnout as a true reflection of the county’s deliberate efforts to facilitate ease of doing business and expand commercial opportunities across the region.

She praised the scale and diversity of exhibitors, highlighting the collaboration between the county government and Kingdom Seekers Church as a model worth replicating across other platforms.

That partnership, she said, represented a productive and forward-looking approach to stimulating local commerce, enterprise development, and broader economic participation among residents of Nakuru County.

Alongside the Wezesha Fund, the county has introduced a single business permit system, replacing the previously fragmented licensing framework that many small traders cited as a barrier.

“We have put in place a single business permit and systemic concessions which are key to creating an enabling business environment, and I urge business people to apply for these low-interest loans as groups, Saccos, and companies,” the governor said.

The single permit reform targets reduced compliance costs for small and medium enterprises, many of which previously navigated multiple licensing requirements across different county departments before beginning operations.

The Governor confirmed the Wezesha Fund will be disbursed through a structured application process, prioritizing organized groups and registered cooperatives to ensure accountability and broader community-level economic benefit.

Nakuru County has steadily positioned itself as a regional commercial hub since the elevation of Nakuru Town to City status in 2021, attracting sustained infrastructure investment and new business activity.

“I remain committed to the growth of businesses and job creation in Nakuru County by fostering an attractive business environment,” the governor said, reaffirming the administration’s focus on private sector expansion.