Deputy President Kithure Kindiki maintains that the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) is the cornerstone of Kenya’s path to prosperity, calling it the fastest and most sustainable way to lift the nation from the margins of development into an economic powerhouse within a generation.
Speaking during a public rally in Nkubu, Meru County, on Friday, Kindiki described the initiative as a “decisive strike against poverty,” emphasizing that every traders’ group, savings and credit cooperative society (SACCO), and community-based organization (CBO) supported to expand their business represents another victory in the fight against household economic vulnerability.
“Bottom-Up Economics is the best and quickest way to transform our country from the margins into a powerhouse within one generation. For every small traders group, SACCO or CBO groups supported to expand their business, we are striking an additional blow for empowerment and against the debilitating effects of household poverty,” he wrote.
The empowerment drive in Nkubu aligns with the Kenya Kwanza administration’s deliberate effort to channel resources directly to the grassroots. He explained that supporting small traders and local enterprises not only alleviates poverty but also stimulates job creation and boosts local economic activity.
“The 13,000 people we have supported today represent thousands of households whose lives will be changed. This is how we lift communities, not from the top, but from the ground upwards,” Kindiki said during the event.
Beneficiaries of the programme included market traders, boda boda operators, youth-led enterprises, and women’s self-help groups, who received financial support and access to training on business management and credit.
Local leaders lauded the Deputy President for spearheading the initiative, saying it demonstrates the government’s commitment to addressing the pressing challenges faced by Kenyans at the grassroots.
The DP emphasized that poverty can only be defeated through intentional and targeted interventions at the community level. He described the Bottom-Up model as a people-driven framework that ensures no Kenyan is left behind.
“When a mama mboga gets the capital to expand her stall, when a boda boda rider upgrades his business, when a farmers’ group acquires better tools, the economy grows stronger. This is how we move from poverty to prosperity, one household at a time,” he said.
Joyce Kagendo, a member of a women’s SACCO in Nkubu, said her group had struggled to access affordable loans but would now invest in dairy farming. “We are grateful for this support. It means we can scale up and create jobs for our youth,” she said.
Peter Mworia, a boda boda rider, said the assistance would allow him to expand his business. “This is a game-changer. I can now buy another motorbike and employ someone else,” he remarked.
The event marks one of the largest empowerment programmes conducted in Imenti South, underscoring the Kenya Kwanza administration’s determination to deliver on its promise of economic inclusion and grassroots development.
