HERITAGE
When President William Ruto's government came to power in 2022, it sought to stimulate economic growth from the ground up through the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). Among other things, the programme is designed to create jobs in the lower echelons of society by supporting small enterprises.
The Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage has mapped about 10,000 social groups in some of Kenya's marginalised counties. The groups are engaged in income-generating activities, such as basket weaving, carving cultural artefacts and creating ornamental products.
“We register individuals and groups, giving them certificates of recognition and accreditation as bona fide cultural practitioners,” says Ummi Bashir, Principal Secretary in charge of culture. “We also give them exposure, networking and marketing opportunities by writing introductory letters to diplomatic missions for assistance.“
During Covid-19, the government distributed KSh100 million to qualifying artists as a stimulus package to jumpstart careers that were
