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Table 4-23 – Markets, Trade and Services SWOT
Table 4-23 – Markets, Trade and Services SWOT
Strengths
› Wote houses several competitive trade and retail markets, attracting visitors/traders from as far as Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos. › The County has a strategic connection to a network of international rail and road trunks, as well as national and regional highways. › Encompasses a thriving and vibrant informal sector, including various skilled craftspeople operating in and around Wote’s markets. › Makueni County represents a strategic provider for health services in the region. › Market infrastructure is fairly limited, with inadequate cold storage and processing facilities which constrain marketability. › Several businesses continue to report access to finance and capital as a major constraint on their operation and growth. › Uncontrolled development and inadequate planning has led to uneconomical land uses and increasing informal settlements. › Sparse road network with poor connectivity and a high percentage of unpaved roads.
Weaknesses
Opportunities
› Considerable opportunities for trade and commercialisation of food and drink, given Makueni’s location with regards to key food consumption cities (Nairobi and Mombasa). › The African Continental Free Trade Area agreement will promote trade within Africa, enabling an increased flow of products. › Makueni’s increasing urban population is expected to create additional demand for businesses in the trade and services sector. › Enduring impact of COVID-19 on both businesses and customer expenditure. › Competition with unregistered roadside traders and street hawkers who have a reduced business cost, as they do not have to pay for a business license/market fees. › Greater distance to northern road corridor and main train stations is a trade constraint may result in Wote being ‘left behind’ from more metropolitan towns like Machakos.
Threats The Sector Action Plan, outlined in Table 4-24, should be viewed as a practical sequence of actions to support the development of the trade and services sector, taking account of the Municipality’s existing strengths and weaknesses. The Plan commences with the soft initiatives and capacity-building interventions (Section 4.4.1) recommended to best position the sector to benefit from the inclusive and climate resilient infrastructure proposals (Section 4.4.4) and the anchor projects proposed to enable sector growth across the County (Section 4.4.3). The VC opportunity of a commercialised solid waste collection and processing service is presented as a potential pilot scheme to catalyse climate-smart development (Section 4.4.2).
Due to the inherently interrelated nature of the identified key economic sectors of Agriculture and Livestock and Agri-Processing and Industry with the Trade and Services Sector, the interventions outlined are also likely to have significant potential for specific benefits for the other sectors and vice versa.
