Ledama says Kenya’s development model is leaving rural communities behind
By Mustafa Juma, June 27, 2026Narok Senator Ledama Olekina has criticised what he described as Kenya’s Nairobi-centric development model, arguing that rural communities continue to be sidelined as major national events, investment opportunities, and government programmes remain concentrated in the capital.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 27, 2026, as the world marked Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day, Olekina questioned whether national forums held almost exclusively in Nairobi genuinely benefit ordinary Kenyans living in rural counties.
He urged policymakers to rethink how development initiatives are designed and implemented, saying the country’s villages should no longer remain on the margins of national conversations.
“Nairobi cannot continue to be the center of every major national conversation while rural counties remain on the margins,” Olekina said.
Impact on rural communities
The senator argued that national celebrations and economic forums should be judged by the number of people they directly empower rather than the size of the events themselves.
Using World MSME Day as an example, Olekina questioned whether women, farmers, traders, and small business owners in remote parts of the country would experience any meaningful benefits from discussions held primarily in urban centres.
“If we are marking World MSME Day, then let us ask hard questions: how many Maasai women, farmers, traders, and small business owners in the villages will truly feel the impact of these forums when they are held only in urban centers?” he posed.
According to the senator, many rural entrepreneurs continue to struggle with limited access to markets, affordable financing, business training, and government support despite being central to local economies.
Ledama’s remarks come as President William Ruto hosts the World MSME Day at KICC in Nairobi.
Calls for inclusive development
Olekina urged the government and development partners to deliberately decentralise national programmes by taking investment forums, exhibitions, training opportunities and public services directly to counties.
He argued that such an approach would allow communities that face the greatest economic challenges to participate more meaningfully in national development.
“Development must be inclusive, not concentrated. We need to deliberately take these events, resources, and opportunities to the counties so that the people most affected by poverty and exclusion are not left out again,” he said.
The senator maintained that counties should not merely host government projects but should also become centres for policy discussions, entrepreneurship programmes and economic empowerment initiatives.
Growing inequality
Olekina cautioned that continuing to centralise opportunities in Nairobi risks widening economic disparities between urban and rural populations.
He said many communities outside major towns continue to experience persistent poverty despite constitutional devolution, which was intended to distribute resources and development more equitably across the country.
“Otherwise, we will keep widening the gap between the rich and the poor while calling it progress,” he warned.
The remarks echo concerns that have frequently been raised by leaders from various counties who argue that businesses and residents outside Nairobi often face greater barriers to accessing government programmes, investors, and national institutions.
Since the introduction of devolution under the 2010 Constitution, successive governments have invested in county infrastructure and devolved functions. However, leaders have continued to debate whether economic opportunities remain disproportionately concentrated in Nairobi.