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MSEA Launches Transformative Training for Micro-Enterprises Under Government of Kenya and World Bank-Backed KJET Project.




 In a classroom buzzing with the quiet focus of entrepreneurs accustomed to working with their hands, a new kind of tool was being handed out: knowledge. This week, the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) continued with classroom training of a transformative national project, offering a lifeline of practical skills to small business owners across Kenya. The training started on 10th November 2025, with pilot projects bringing hope in different parts of the country.

The session marks the first concrete step of the ambitious Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) Project, a five-year partnership (2024-2029) between the Government of Kenya and the World Bank. But for the men and women in the room, owners of small workshops, dairy cooperatives, textile producers, and fisheries, the project is more than policy. It’s a promise: to increase investment in their businesses, help them reach new customers, and ultimately create better, more secure jobs for themselves and their communities.

"For a long time, we have known how to work hard, but not always how to work smart," shared Leonard Nge'tich, CEO, Lenel Leather from Nairobi. "This training feels like getting the manual for a machine we've been operating by trial and error."

The KJET project has a clear, people-centred goal: to directly improve the livelihoods of at least 45,000 Kenyans, with a dedicated focus on ensuring at least 6,800 women gain new or better opportunities. It aims to do this by strengthening the very heart of Kenya's economy, its micro and small businesses, particularly in sectors ripe for growth like dairy, edible oils, textiles, and the blue economy.

The training was launched on 10th November 2025, with the core  "Component 2" of KJET, managed by MSEA. It’s designed as a two-part journey for business owners. First comes the classroom. Over 1,200 MSME clusters nationwide will receive free, hands-on training in the nuts and bolts of running a sustainable business: managing finances, understanding governance, boosting productivity, and finding new markets.

"The curriculum is built for application, not just theory," explained Barny Kanja, a facilitator from Momentrum Consulting Africa Ltd, who is leading the  sessions. "We're not just talking about 'market access' as a concept. We're sitting down with a dairy farmer and mapping out how to get their products into a new supermarket chain. We're helping a tailor master digital tools to sell online. These are the skills that turn a struggle into a success story."

The second part of the journey offers a crucial boost. For 600 of the businesses that complete the training and develop a solid plan, the project will provide a co-investment grant. If an entrepreneur identifies a machine that could double their output, a better oven for a bakery, a modern tannery drum for a leather worker, KJET will cover 70% of the cost. The business owner contributes 30%. This model is intentional: it builds commitment, ensures the owner has a stake in the success, and stretches public funds to help more people.

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