The overall objective of the Micro-Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) is to promote economic growth, employment creation and poverty alleviation through support to enterprises. MESPT works with intermediaries that provide financial or business development services to improve the performance of enterprises. The aim is to strengthen financial intermediaries in order to establish a strong, stable, market-based micro-finance sector in Kenya.

Our Mission

Our mission is to mobilise resources to maximise value and economically empower micro-finance institutions and enterprises by offering financial resources and business development services. And our vision is to be the leading and preferred provider of resources for development of enterprises.

Our History

The Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) is a financial institution founded by the Government of Kenya and the Delegation of European Union in Kenya. The establishment of the Trust was notified through the Legal Notice Number 104 of 20th June 2001. However, the Trust Deed was first signed on 30th October 2002 and its operations commenced in November 2003. The Trust’s operations are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Trust, the Founders and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The mandate of the Trust was to take over the activities of the Micro Enterprises Support Programme (MESP), implemented by the Government of Kenya and the European Union between December 1997 and December 2003.

What we do

The overall objective of MESPT is to promote economic growth, employment creation and poverty alleviation through support to enterprises. MESPT works with intermediaries that provide financial or business development services to improve the performance or enterprises. The aim is to strengthen financial intermediaries in order to establish a strong, stable, market-based micro-finance sector in Kenya.

The activities of the Trust are organised under three main components:

• A Financial Services Component that makes loans to financial intermediaries for on-lending to enterprises
• A Business Development Services (BDS) Component that offers non-financial services to enterprises through intermediaries in areas such as product development, technology adaptation, market access and linkage, skill acquisition and productivity improvement
• An Institutional Support and Capacity Building Component that strengthens the ability of providers of financial services and BDS intermediaries to offer efficient and effective services

The financial services component was initiated in January 2003 with a Kshs. 420 Million seed capital from the European Union. The Capacity Building Component came on Board in December 2006 with a Kshs. 82 million Seed Capital from the Royal Danish Embassy. The Business Services Component came on Board in May 2008 with the seed capital funding of Kshs. 248 million from the Royal Danish Embassy. The financial services component has other subcomponents.  

Management of the Trust

The Trust is an independent organization whose Management Team has been mandated to make decisions on its day-to-day operations. The Board of Trustees provides the overall policy development and guidance to the management team. The policy guidance emanates from the Founders to whom annual reports on the operations of the Trust are submitted.

Risk Management Framework

MESPT has completed its Risk Management Framework.