President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered Energy Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Energy to review electricity tariffs, with the aim of reducing the cost for small businesses within a month.
The President ordered this at the Round Table forum for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) owners in Nairobi at the Strathmore University where he met the traders to discuss the challenges facing them.
“We have to agree on the issue of financing SMEs and how to improve infrastructure. We have to deal with issues of access to markets, we must deal with the cost of electricity.”
The President has directed his entire administration to strengthen its engagement with the SMEs sector and to collaboratively address the constraints that hinder the productivity of the sector.
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“The SME community, represents 75% of the country’s workforce and we need to sit down and know how we will respond to the industry. We owe it to them,” said the President.
The president also apologized to the SME community, saying that the government had failed them.
During the forum, the President declined to read the written speech saying it will only embarrass him since matters raised need quick action and not reading policy matters.
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