Lodwar, 29th July 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus has urged Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), in Turkana to adopt the cooperatives model to unlock capital for new ventures and the expansion of existing businesses.

The Deputy Governor spoke when he opened a one-day sensitization forum for MSMEs in Turkana organized by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) through the local chapter of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI).

Dr. Erus said Turkana could drive its annual market capitalization value to up to Ksh 100 billion in the next few years if businesses embraced a savings and loaning culture best associated with SACCOs and cooperative operations.

“We have finalized research that identified key value chains open to MSMEs for the growth of Turkana. However, in order to unlock capital, MSMEs should consider forming cooperatives where members make direct contributions as savings and use the same cash to access loans at more competitive rates,” Dr. Erus said.

The Deputy Governor also called on members of the business community with unpaid loans disbursed through economic empowerment funds by the County to repay the debt to enable others to access the same.

He further lauded ICPAK for the initiative, saying business owners stood to benefit from capacity building on the use of cooperatives to generate capital for commercial enterprises.

On his part, ICPAK National Vice Chair FCPA Bernard Amukah said the engagement with the business community was meant to sensitize them on matters relating to public finance.

“In most cases, when businessmen and women hear public finance, they only think about government revenue and expenditure. They forget that they also trade with the government as suppliers or contractors. This calls for awareness of how public finance works,” he said.

FCPA Amukah also sensitized members of the business community on the governance structure for handling pending bills in Kenya and the need for direct engagement with the County Government from time to time on procurement and payment for goods and services.

Speaking on behalf of KNCCI, Vice Chair Edward Okumu asked the County to create open days for the business community to freely interact with county staff and systems of financial management.

“Our hope is to have a calendar of engagements with the county. We even want the Governor to attend and address emerging concerns. Through such meetings, solutions for driving the economic potential of the county would be discussed and implemented,” he said.

The one-day sensitization was also attended by CEC for Finance and Economic Planning Roseline Aite, Chief Officer Robert Lotaruk, Director of Public Policy and Research Hillary Onami, CPA Dr. Ben Samoei, Chair of ICPAK North Rift Branch, CPA Nelson Kore, and Turkana County ICPAK Convener Julius Lokopu.