Turkana Chamber Background
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry is registered as a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee under the Companies Act Chapter 486 of the laws of Kenya. Before the promulgation of the Kenyan Constitution in August 2010, the KNCCI had its main operations at the head office in Nairobi with regional offices in the major towns in Kenya. In Turkana County, a similar outfit was first established in Lodwar town in 2004 to serve the interests of business people in Turkana region without any legal affiliation with the national chamber. However, after the promulgation of the constitution, the Chamber amended the legal instrument to establish a National Office and County Chamber’s offices in all 47 Counties.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) is a membership-based Trade Support Institution (TSI) working to protect the commercial and industrial interests of the Kenyan business community. KNCCI advocates for the creation of a favorable commercial, trade, and investment environment that supports enterprise expansion. The membership of KNCCI constitutes small, micro enterprises (MSEs), medium and large enterprises. Turkana Chapter of the KNCCI is a fully operational Chamber with staff, office space, and duly elected officials, with active membership of 1012 members drawn from all the 7 sub-counties.
Whereas Article 113 of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Articles of Association provides for the establishment of a county Chamber in each of 47 counties in Kenya. The main mandate of the county Chambers is to promote, coordinate and protect the commercial and industrial interests of its members at the county level.
Articles 137-139 of the Chamber’s Articles of Association provide the framework for interaction between the national and the county Chambers. Article 137 emphasizes the need for the National Chamber and the County Chambers to exercise their powers and perform their functions in synergy and in a manner that respects the institutional integrity at both levels. In addition, there will be a collaboration between the National Chamber and the County Chambers in information exchange, coordinating policies and administration, and enhancing capacity. To foster such corporations, the National Governing Council and the County Governing Councils may set up joint committees and appoint joint officials.