By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 3 July 2026 - The distribution of business equipment worth KSh1.8 million by Kisumu County Woman Representative Ruth Odinga may appear modest against the scale of Kenya's broader economic challenges.
Yet it reflects a growing political and economic strategy centred on strengthening the informal economy, which remains the country's largest employer and a vital source of household income.
At the Juakali sheds in Kisumu City, Ruth handed over assorted equipment to jua kali artisans, youth groups, women groups and small scale traders in a programme designed to improve productivity, expand enterprise and create sustainable livelihoods.
"My development approach is different. I want to empower the people direct. My able office engage them to identify their needs and resource gaps and we come in handy with the requisite tools, equipment and merchandise to boost their businesses and improve their income per Capita," Ruth explained.
Her office is also doing massive capacity building for both skilled and non skilled entrepreneurs and college students in partnership with line organisation such as National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), partnering with NGAAF, and other line micro finance institutions to uplift those in business through either asset financing or unsecured loans to start and/or expand their businesses especially those who have been trained and certified by her women Rep office in Kisumu.
More than 20,000 traders and women and youth groups have been trained since she came in office in 2022 and are now tipped for her empowerment program going on.
People from all the 35 wards that dots Kisumu will benefit from her empowerment program scheme, Ruth told the press in Kisumu during the distribution of assorted equipment to the beneficiaries. About 180 various groups benefited.
"I just want to work for you and work with you to achieve growth and development. Let's pull together and improve where necessary to make things work for the common good of all. I believe together we can do it. So let's unite for this noble initiative. I am open to constructive ideas and suggestions on how to make us serve you better. Feel free to share your marxim with us to align where fit appropriately," Ruth said
The empowerment project event by Ruth brought together local political leaders, including nominated Members of the County Assembly Nancy Matara and Mickey Ochieng, County Assembly Chief Whip Seth Kanga, and officials from the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), led by county chairperson Jackline India.
The beneficiaries represent the backbone of Kisumu's micro-enterprise sector, which has increasingly become the county's primary engine of employment amid slowing formal job creation and persistent economic pressures.
The equipment is expected to help artisans improve production capacity while enabling youth and women's groups to expand small businesses ranging from fabrication and tailoring to retail trade and service enterprises.
Jackline India described Ruth Odinga as a consistent advocate for economic empowerment, saying her interventions had steadily strengthened traders, women and young entrepreneurs across the county.
She said the continued investment in productive assets rather than cash hand-outs was helping transform livelihoods by giving beneficiaries the tools needed to generate sustainable incomes.
"For us. We are happy with Ruth and we are firmly behind her success and every other project she does. It's Ruth to watch her steps. She is the best female Amazon in the National Assembly," India told the press.
The empowering Kisumu juakali artisans event also carried unmistakable political significance.
County Assembly Chief Whip Seth Kanga, together with Nancy Matara and Mickey Ochieng, praised Ruth Odinga's development record, saying her programmes were delivering practical economic benefits directly to ordinary residents.
The three MCAs said the empowerment initiatives demonstrated a leadership approach focused on expanding business opportunities rather than short-term political promises.
They pledged to support her ongoing development agenda and publicly backed her expected bid for the Kisumu governorship, arguing that her track record in community empowerment positioned her to lead the county's next phase of economic transformation.
Their endorsement comes as political realignments begin to gather pace ahead of Kenya's next electoral cycle, with development credentials increasingly becoming central to county-level campaigns.
MCA Ochieng also told the media that Ruth is a good leader. "She is simply sweet to lead."
The empowerment projects speaks louder than words. It's shows pragmatic solutions to the economic challenges facing the youth and women groups in businesses.
For Kisumu, whose economy depends heavily on trade, fishing, transport, manufacturing and small-scale enterprises, support for the informal sector remains a critical component of economic growth.
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The Jua kali industry alone supports thousands of families through metal fabrication, carpentry, vehicle repair, furniture making and engineering services, while women and youth-owned enterprises continue to dominate local commerce.
Analysts say investments in production equipment often generate stronger long-term economic returns than direct financial assistance because they improve productivity, encourage business expansion and create additional employment opportunities.
Kisumu County Manager for Ruth Odinga's Special Programmes, Samwel Amuti, said the equipment distribution formed part of a broader economic empowerment strategy that has been implemented across the county.
Amuti disclosed that several infrastructure projects aimed at supporting traders, entrepreneurs and local communities were already in the pipeline.
According to Amuti, the planned investments are intended to strengthen the operating environment for businesses while expanding opportunities for youth and women seeking to participate in the county's economy.
Amuti also urged Kisumu residents to support Ruth Odinga's anticipated gubernatorial bid, saying her leadership had consistently prioritised development programmes that directly improved livelihoods.
The latest empowerment drive illustrates how grassroots economic initiatives are becoming increasingly intertwined with county politics.
As competition for leadership intensifies, programmes targeting micro-enterprises, women's groups and youth organisations are emerging not only as development interventions but also as indicators of political credibility.
For many beneficiaries, however, the immediate concern remains economic survival.
With inflationary pressures, constrained access to affordable credit and rising operating costs continuing to weigh on small businesses, productive equipment can provide an important boost to income generation.
In Kisumu's bustling informal economy, such investments are increasingly viewed as practical tools for building resilience, stimulating entrepreneurship and supporting inclusive economic growth from the ground up.
Maurice Onono spearheading the training and capacity building said in the remaining months to the next general elections they target to train 15,000 more youth women groups and sponsor hundred school leavers to various middle level technical colleges that offers hands on courses from mechanics, hair dressing, sewing, driving , masonry and plumbing courses among others, which Ruth echoed were her target empowerment niche.
"These are our focus areas," She affirmed.
Kisumu County business elites led Edward Onyango alias Bob CEO, an aspiring Kisumu Central parliamentary candidate, said Ruth Odinga had demonstrated that leadership was about creating opportunities for people to earn a living rather than making promises during election campaigns.
"Mama Ruth has consistently invested in the people of Kisumu. When you empower a trader, an artisan or a young entrepreneur with tools of work, you are restoring dignity and creating wealth. That is the kind of leadership our county needs," he said.
Bob said the empowerment programme would strengthen hundreds of small enterprises and inject fresh momentum into the informal economy, which employs the majority of urban residents.
"The jua kali sector is the backbone of Kisumu's economy. Supporting it means supporting families, creating jobs and stimulating local business growth. These are practical investments whose impact will be felt for years," Bob CEO explained to the media.
Bob CEO also urged residents to rally behind Ruth Odinga's anticipated bid for the Kisumu governorship, saying her development record spoke for itself.
"As we prepare for the next phase of leadership in Kisumu, we should elect leaders with a proven record of delivery. I fully support Ruth Odinga's candidature for governor because she has shown consistency in empowering women, youth, traders and vulnerable groups. Together, we can build a stronger and more prosperous Kisumu," he said.
Bob CEO said, he would champion legislation and programmes that strengthen small businesses, youth entrepreneurship and innovation if elected city MP in 2027.
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