Valley Capital Limited is registered as a private liability company under the Company Act (Cap486) of the laws of Kenya. It is a non-deposit-taking micro-finance institution established in 2015 by two entrepreneurs with a combined 30 years of experience in finance and banking.

The institution was established to address various challenges faced by SMEs and salaried employees who are excluded from the mainstream financial system.

The World Bank estimates that four out of five new jobs in emerging markets come from SMEs. McKinsey estimates that 95 percent of all registered firms in emerging markets are SMEs.

In Kenya, SMEs comprise about 75 percent of all businesses, contributing 18.4 percent ($8. 07 billion) of the country’s GDP ($42.8 billion).
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), SMEs in Kenya employs 7.5 million people; account for 80 percent of employment, and contribute over 92 percent of the new jobs created annually.
The significance of SMEs in Kenya is reflected in the 2014 Economic Survey, which indicated that 80 percent of the 800,000 jobs created in 2014 were in the informal sector that SMEs dominate.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) also supports the Economic Survey report by stating that SMEs absorb up to 50 percent of new non-farm employment seekers and have an employment growth rate of 12-14 % annually. In addition to alleviating unemployment, small firms also play an important role in Kenya’s economic growth by paying taxes.

The role of SMEs in Kenya and their contribution to wheeling the economy cannot be over-emphasized. Any time of the week, you will find Jua Kali artisans busy at work and displaying their beautiful furniture and carvings, among numerous other items, for sale. Most Jua kali businesses are found on roadsides in Kenya’s big towns. In Nairobi, the trade is common along with Ngong Road between Ngong Race Course and Dagoretii Corner area, Kamukunji, Gikomba Market, Kibera’s Toi market, and Outering Road, to mention but a few. These displays have a variety of high-quality hard and softwood furniture, artistic fabricated doors and gates, and priceless pieces of art created from scrap metal and carpets. The artisans also offer to make items according to customers’ needs.