President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda is gaining traction among women and youth running small businesses, with beneficiaries of the Inua Mama Chapati Initiative in Kisumu praising the programme for supporting their livelihoods.
More than 50 women traders at Kasawino Market in Manyatta B Ward, Kisumu East Sub-County, received cooking oil and wheat flour during a visit by the Inua Mama Chapati Initiative team linked to Interior Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo.
The beneficiaries, who operate small roadside businesses selling chapatis, mandazis, samosas and cooked beans, welcomed the support, saying it would help them sustain and expand their enterprises.
Speaking to the media on Friday, August 7, Peterlis Ogendo, the initiative’s team leader, said Omollo had recognised the potential of small food businesses to improve household incomes and create opportunities for women and young people.
Ogendo said the initiative is conducted weekly in different markets across the country, with the team targeting women and youth engaged in small-scale food businesses.
“We have been moving to various markets because PS Raymond Omollo thought it wise to promote women and youth cooking chapatis and mandazis. We don’t want the businesses to die but to flourish. We are doing this every week, meeting women and youth in different markets,” said Ogendo.
He also urged the beneficiaries to support President Ruto’s administration, citing its focus on empowering small-scale entrepreneurs through the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
One of the beneficiaries, Kasawino trader Sara Juma, thanked Omollo and the Inua Mama Chapati team for the support, saying the assistance had given traders renewed hope in their businesses.
“We as small business traders making chapatis, mandazis and samosas want to thank PS Dr Raymond Omollo and his team for the visit. We have never seen this kind of kindness, so we are grateful,” said Juma.
Juma added that the beneficiaries were prepared to support Ruto in the 2027 General Election, saying the assistance had strengthened their confidence in his administration.
The team said it plans to extend the initiative to other markets in Kisumu East, including Manyatta Peace Market, Ogango and Kaego, in an effort to reach more women and youth operating small businesses.
The initiative comes as the government continues to promote small and informal enterprises as a key pillar of its economic empowerment agenda.
