Industrializing Laikipia Through Innovative Enterprises
From laikipia.go.ke
Driving along a Nyahururu road on a chilly December morning in 2017, Governor Ndiritu Muriithi noticed a crowd milling around a small homemade car. He asked his driver to stop at the spot.
Is it working?
He enquired. When the man seated behind the steering wheel responded in the affirmative, he promised to come back and have a ride.
Certainly, after attending a general staff meeting at the Nyahururu Social Hall, the Governor did return to the scene. Tagging his Deputy Governor John Mwaniki along, they hopped into the car for a ride around Nyahururu.
The man who has made this is far much better than many engineering professors who have never made anything even a tooth. He has believed in himself. We are going to create a science fund to support such innovators,
he would remark on his way back to Nanyuki.
A few months into office, Governor Muriithi formed a committee that would start giving his vision of industrializing Laikipia, shape and life. This would not only create jobs but also increase the daily incomes of Laikipia households to Kshs 600 and therefore improve the quality of life for the citizens.
The seven-member committee was to organise an innovation fair that would bring out and showcase unique Laikipia ideas and products. Its work also entailed bringing on board various partners and stakeholders who would support the innovators in their respective fields to attain mass production as well as linking them to markets.
Calls for Laikipia innovations were made. The committee was amazed by the number of those interested. Over 200 met the criteria to join the Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Programme and to showcase their ideas at the Fair.
Among them was the Laikipia car, BJ50.
Handholding
After assessing all of them, the committee settled on 50 ideas cutting across various thematic areas like Agriculture, Water, ICT, energy, among other areas.
After days of planning the first ever Laikipia Innovation Fair was held on May 30th and 31st, 2018. By this time 15 partners were already on board.
Kenya Climate Innovation Centre picked six of the innovators for incubation and financial support to help boost their ideas. Innovators were linked to key stakeholders who were also in the room. They included regulators like Kenya Bureau of Standards, KIPI, financiers, researchers Kirdi, universities, among others.
This marked the beginning of the long journey towards industrializing Laikipia. Four years down the line Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Programme has been a great success story.
From the initial 50, the programme is now hand-holding 504 Laikipia SMEs. It has 200 business development officers to handhold the enterprises and link them to any support they might need be it financial or skill development.
Since the programme began, 74 Laikipia products are in local and international markets. The Kenya Bureau of Standards have so far certified 37 Laikipia products in the last three years. Marks and patents have so far been registered and with the registration of eight others going on. In 2019, ten Laikipia enterprises showcased their products at the 20th East Africa Community MSMEs trade fair in Rwanda. It was a chance to learn and market their products.
Iron ore
“I still sell my products in the East African region and beyond. This would not have been possible were it not fair. The Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Program has really assisted my business growth
” said David Burii who makes maize drier. BJ50 is in mass production in Nyahururu’s manufacturing cluster with at least 15 sub-contractors. The county is preparing to start exploiting iron ore and other mineral huge deposits in the County to accelerate the industrialization process.
The County Government is also planning and modernizing its urban centres to support industrialization. It is also refocusing its workers to production and manufacturing-oriented enterprise development. The programme has so far created 1,049 direct jobs. LIEDP director, Winnie Mwangi is optimistic that Laikipia will be leading in the manufacturing sector in the country and the East African region in the near future.
