Some of the tuk-tuks were given to small-scale business groups./FAITH MATETE
The support follows an empowerment gesture led by Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo.
PS Omollo handed over five motorised tuk-tuks to selected beneficiaries, including mama mboga groups, boda boda operators, and informal traders.
The handover, facilitated through the Kisumu Community Health and Development (KCHAD) Community-Based Organisation, is part of a broader push to boost grassroots economic activities.
One of the beneficiaries, speaking during the event, acknowledged the gesture as timely support for small businesses trying to navigate the harsh economic climate.
Kisumu Bus Park Chairman Shem Ochuodho described the initiative as a welcome move but urged the government to roll out similar interventions across the county.
"We want to thank President William Ruto and PS Raymond Omollo for this gesture, we don't take for granted".
This support on the ground, he said, was giving youth within the area a chance to earn a living.
"But we are also calling for more long-term solutions, such as factories and industries to address joblessness,” said Ochuodho.
The traders also noted that the city remained largely calm during the recent anti-government demonstrations led by young people under the Generation Z banner.
They said while some youths chose to protest, many in Kisumu preferred to focus on economic recovery and job creation.
“Everyone has their reasons for joining protests. As for us, in Kisumu, we are more concerned with how to put food on the table and grow our businesses,” said a trader who received one of the tuk-tuks.
Another trader, Mark Oluoch, noted that the county had suffered for long due to protests, and they will not take that direction again.
The tuk tuk distribution forms part of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s broader economic inclusion program aimed at empowering informal sector workers and promoting entrepreneurship.
