In light of the damage witnessed during last year's anti-Finance Bill protests and the demonstrations on 25 June this year, the government has introduced several measures aimed at restoring the economic capacity of the affected small businesses.
Through a statement released on Thursday, June 26, Principal Secretary in the State Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Susan Mang'eni, revealed a seven-point strategy to strengthen the MSME sector.
The government’s immediate response will include the establishment of a rapid assessment team to document all affected MSMEs and the fast-tracking of the processing of business renewal and license renewal for affected companies.
Further, the State will coordinate with insurance companies for expedited claims processing and sensitising the MSMEs on the need for insurance.
Mang'eni also revealed that the government will also offer temporary business relocation assistance to the small businesses through the county governments.
Another strategy, the PS said, will be to consider establishing a riot risk response mechanism to assist with future scenarios in which businesses are exposed to looting during protests.
“This would assist in managing such situations and support recovery in the future to take care of political and climate disaster-related emergencies,” Mang'eni said.
Further, the State will advocate for accelerated digital payment systems to reduce cash-based vulnerabilities in a bid to give MSMEs a safer way of securing their income and reducing the risk of goons making away with their cash.
The government also plans intensify the establishment of e-commerce platforms and digital marketplaces for the business continuity of MSMEs, perhaps a way to create a community and seamless ecosystem for MSMEs.
As per statistics, the country loses an estimated three billion shillings daily during protests, most of which is borne by MSMEs, who have the least financial resilience.
During yesterday’s demos, numerous shops mostly within Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) bore the brunt of looting, with goons who had infiltrated the protests breaking into the closed shops and making away with property of unknown value.
The small business owners were left counting their losses with some unsure of whether they would receive compensation.
This was despite police warning against the goons infiltrating the protests. On Tuesday June 17, goons infiltrated protests and were captured on video looting shops, robbing civilians and physically assaulting protesters who had gathered to honour blogger Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody.
