KNCCI, CARE Kenya Deepen Partnership to Advance Women, Youth and SME Empowerment

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and CARE Kenya today convened a roundtable breakfast meeting aimed at strengthening collaboration and fostering dialogue with key stakeholders, including government representatives.

The high-level meeting brought together KNCCI Chief Executive Officer Ahmed “KK” Mutai, CARE Kenya Country Director Getrude Misango, KNCCI President Dr. Erick Rutto, CARE International President and CEO Ms. Michelle Nunn, and Principal Secretary, State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, Ms. Anne Wang’ombe.

The discussions focused on exploring opportunities for partnership in advancing women’s economic empowerment, youth employment, and the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Participants also examined potential joint initiatives to enhance livelihoods, promote innovation, and expand market access for entrepreneurs across the country.

Speaking during the forum, Dr. Rutto underscored the complementary roles played by KNCCI and CARE Kenya, noting that CARE’s strategic focus aligns strongly with private sector priorities. He highlighted key areas of collaboration including inclusive livelihoods and enterprise development, food and nutrition security through agribusiness, climate-smart and resilient value chains, financial inclusion, and innovation-driven market access.

“These are priority sectors where the private sector, working through KNCCI, has both the capacity and responsibility to lead transformative change,” Dr. Rutto said.

CARE International President and CEO Ms. Michelle Nunn described the renewed commitment to strengthening institutional relations as timely, noting that closer collaboration would significantly boost efforts to eliminate poverty and enhance empowerment for women and youth across Kenya.

“This partnership presents an opportunity to leverage our collective strengths to deliver lasting impact for communities and businesses alike,” she said.

Going forward, the two institutions agreed to identify priority areas for collaboration and to begin developing a clear roadmap for joint initiatives, including concrete follow-up actions to translate discussions into measurable outcomes.