Embu Trade executive David Kariuki has accused traders of engaging in business to while away time rather than to get the benefit.
Kariuki expressed concern that most of the traders in the county do not have business acumen. Their businesses have been stagnating at the same level, he said.
“The big problem is that we have no entrepreneurial acumen. Embu people I am telling you, again and again, let us do business and do it well. The habit of doing business as if we fear is the reason why we don’t have big businesses. Let us be known for doing businesses that will bring benefit to us,” Kariuki said.
The CEC said most of the big businesses are run by outsiders who are aggressive. He was speaking to businessmen at the Talent Academy during the weekend.
"Local traders should change their thinking and attitude," Kariuki said.
He said it is disappointing that most of the agricultural produce and other merchandise sold in markets are brought from outside yet Embu is endowed with a lot of resources.
He said it’s sad to see that a local trader will stick to business while he or she is not getting any profit, saying that the locals should feel provoked and from now on be fearless in doing business.
Kariuki lamented that from Nairobi to Embu along the highway, all the way one finds very aggressive traders selling commodities produced in their counties but that on entering Embu one does not find such traders but only at Kawanjara in Embu East Sub-county.
“Let us do business that will bring benefit to us including engaging in agribusiness unlike subsistence farming so that we can be respected in the business field. We should not be satisfied to see 30 percent of the milk we sell coming from Kinagop, eggs from Thika, and even “Dania” coming from outside. Let us pull our socks,” said Kariuki.
