Reluctance of Kiambu to launch should excite entrepreneurs

What you need to know:

  • Key resources in arable land, its key and strategic forests, its scenic waterfalls and its well maintained roads make it an enviable county for any entrepreneur with ideas to invest in.  

With the dawn of devolution, the excitement that swept the air across Kenya could be cut with a knife. Bringing services closer to the people, deepening of the entrepreneurial realm and most important, ensuring that capital circulation was local and was determined by the local forces of supply and demand.

Kiambu County was the envy of everyone, leading the pack of 47 even before the devolution train left the station. Fast forward to 2014, a year down the road and Kiambu has been dubbed the reluctant economic giant of Kenya.

The reluctance of the county to launch aggressively as the place to invest is surprising, given that it has a population of over 1.6million,  with an estimated population density of 638 people per square kilometre.

As a county, it has all the ingredients any business needs to take off. It has a large population and good average literacy levels of 76 per cent and above, given that it hosts some of the best educational institutions in the country. Its proximity to the capital city Nairobi makes it the perfect trading county specifically in the area of agri-business.

With a poverty level of an average of 51 per cent, it has great potential and resources to pick up and be the icon of entrepreneurship in the country. The teething problems of devolution must have given the county a lot of fever but the county government seems to be trudging along in the right direction.

Key resources in arable land, its key and strategic forests, its scenic waterfalls and its well maintained roads make it an enviable county for any entrepreneur with ideas to invest in.  Youth hold the key to entrenching entrepreneurship in the county and in the process creating the much needed jobs to reduce the high unemployment rate of 54 per cent amongst the youth populace.

WHERE TO INVEST

There are some investment areas that both high net and low net entrepreneurs can focus on and take advantage in the county, especially in key towns like Kiambu, Thika, Lari, Kijabe and Ruiru.

With sites like the Mau Mau Caves, Paradise Lost, Chania Falls, Fourteen Falls, Mugumo Gardens among others, tourism related services would be key in deepening local tourism, and this county has a fine opportunity for this. Not to add the Kijabe area, with its amazing land escarpment viewpoints.

The development of better facilities and the services therein to improve on this is a huge opportunity for creative entrepreneurs. Transport is key as the demand for agricultural products outstrips supply due to transport constraints.

No business can operate without the safety of resources, both capital and human. Security is a big challenge in the county and a big opportunity for those thinking of how they can leverage the available human resource in the youth and technology.

The county has a million and more small SMEs in diverse sectors and these SMEs lack capital, and because of how expensive credit has become to access, lag behind in their growth projections. These SMEs offer the perfect opportunity for VC's to invest their billions. Kiambu has a lot of micro industries that need capital to grow and expand.

Financial Services: With the increase of entrepreneurs, financial consultants are needed to advice the SMEs on how to nurture and grow their businesses and above all, how to embrace partnerships to be able to maximize on economies of scale.

Health Services; With the doctor to patient ration being at 1:25,000 the need for health services and especially specialised ones is in great demand. A sick county won't be able to move forward.

Retail Services:  The need for better, convenient retail services is on the increase. Creative entrepreneurs should be able to offer convenience in retail and in the process support the nascent manufacturing industry.

NASTY LOCAL POLITICS

The county has gone through political challenges, where we have seen MPs led by Alice Ng’ang’a go against the Governor, demanding his ouster because of the controversial Finance Bill that has seen the county government taunted as being insensitive  to the needs of Kiambu entrepreneurs. We have seen the Senator going for the Governor’s jugular and it’s been nasty local politics.

At the vortex of this, we have the MCAs siding with the Governor and it’s been interesting as we have seen the impeachment of the County Assembly Speaker Mr Ndichu. Despite a court application, the Industrial Court did give the assembly the green light for the Assembly to look for another Speaker.

Governor Kabogo, despite the political fights, seems determined to deliver. If the entrepreneurs can see the opportunities, then Kiambu will be the county to beat. The onus lies with the County Executive Committee members to sell the idea that Kiambu is the place to invest in. 

Twitter: @SokoAnalyst