Across Kenya, the heartbeat of the economy is not in corporate boardrooms, it is in the open-air markets, the roadside stalls, the livestock trading centers, and the buzzing jua kali yards. It is powered by hustlers, artisans, informal traders, pastoralists, and smallholder farmers. These are the people who create 83% of jobs in Kenya’s economy, yet they remain marginalized from credit, markets, infrastructure, and policy influence. What they need is not pity. They need power and public investment.

NFD is committed to building an inclusive economy from the bottom up, beginning with infrastructure. We will invest in last-mile feeder roads, rural market sheds, storage and warehousing, and reliable access to electricity and water in informal business zones. These are not luxuries, they are the bare minimum for dignified enterprise.

In every county, we will operationalize trade boards tasked with providing zero-interest loans and group-based credit guarantees, especially for youth and women-led enterprises. At the sub-county level, we will establish permanent cooperative business support desks that offer free legal registration, bookkeeping training, and access to public procurement.

Our agenda includes the formalization of cottage industries from leatherwork to bead-making, milk processing to digital content. NFD will create digital marketing platforms where small producers can advertise and sell their goods, and we will ensure that all procurement systems include a minimum quota for certified community-based enterprises. Annual County Trade Fairs will be held in all 47 counties, turning local economies into nodes of national and regional trade.

We will also digitize the business environment. Registering a business, paying taxes, and applying for tenders will be made accessible through a unified e-platform, available in both English and Kiswahili. No more harassment by rogue licensing officers, no more extortion by county askaris, and no more bureaucratic bottlenecks designed to keep small players out.

This commitment is driven by hard facts. World Bank data from 2021 shows that 60% of Kenyan SMEs collapse within three years due to lack of access to credit, markets, and supportive policy. Less than 20% of youth-owned businesses receive formal loans. Most county licensing systems are fragmented, overlapping, and unaffordable. NFD will end this injustice. We believe in an economy that empowers the many.