Stakeholders in the business sector who are meeting in Mombasa have called upon the government to inject another stimulus package to resuscitate Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Led by the National Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KNCCI) Mombasa chapter chair Mustafa Ramadhan, the stakeholders also asked the political class to desist from divisive politics as the country approaches the election.

“We are hoping the government will come up with a stimulus package to help the MSMEs that have been heavily devastated by the pandemic. Again we are appealing to the politicians that as we are moving towards the elections, not to say anything that will inflame people and get us back again into trouble,” said Ramadhan.

Mombasa is one of the regions which was hit hard by the pandemic due to it’s dependency on tourism.

MSME missed out
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled a Sh25 billion economic stimulus package to jump-start the economy and create jobs ahead of the 2022 General Election.

But Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA) chair James Mureu says MSMEs did not benefit much from the Covid-19 economic stimulus package yet they were the worst hit by the crisis.

“The MSMEs should have received a good portion of the Covid-19 economic stimulus programs, unfortunately little or no resources were channeled there,” said Mureu.

Ramadhan said as the country is slowly recovering from the pangs of the pandemic, it will be more devastating if bad politics plunge it back to the abyss of the political lock.

Early adopters

“Businesses have survived the worst. This pandemic was not expected and as a result it has devastated many MSMEs. It was only the more viable companies and the ones that were quicker to adapt which eventually survived,” said the chairman in Mombasa.

He was speaking in the coastal town during the Mombasa Business Awards 2021 gala where the most resilient businesses that awarded for surviving the pandemic to continue employing Kenyans.

“This year’s awards are about the businesses that have shown resilience,” said the KNCCI Mombasa Chapter boss. He hailed traders for braving the Covid-19 situation and expressed optimism that there are high hopes for the turn of events as from next year.