President Uhuru Kenyatta's team has on Thursday made commitments worth Ksh2.5 billion to the Jua Kali sector in relation to the affordable housing target of the Big 4 Agenda in what is considered a first.
In a statement posted by the Presidential Delivery Unit on Twitter on Thursday, November 21, the government announced that it had given the mouthwatering offer to the workers with a view to including them in the Big 4 Agenda.
"The Government has made an order of 100,000 doors specifically to the Jua Kali sector. This translates to about Ksh2.5 billion shillings estimated income to Jua Kali fundis in the affordable housing program," the Presidential Delivery Unit announced.
This move by the presidency was announced by the Principal Secretary, State Department for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga who officially kicked off what he referred to as the journey to dignifying the Juakali sector.
The announcement came moments after the chairman of the JuaKali Association Gabriel Kateeti urged the government to consider including the sector in the Big 4 Agenda based on their performance record.
“As you retrench, we employ. We need to put our house in order for us to take advantage of these business opportunities in the affordable housing program. We ask the government to give us a chance,” Kateeti had stated.
Hinga admitted that for the affordable housing idea to succeed as the president intended, the Jua Kali workers needed to take advantage of the opportunities that the government was set to hand them.
"In the affordable housing program, we estimate a demand of 5 million kilos of nails, we call upon you to take advantage of this demand. We would like to partner with you in the achievement of 500,000 affordable homes," Hinga stated.
Hinga later revealed that the government had already set the ball rolling in their working relationship with members of the informal sector.
"We have launched the production manual for 69 items we have determined can be produced here locally, with accompanying designs already done for the sector to start mass production. We will provide them with access to finance, working spaces tools and machinery," he announced.
The PS also announced that his office had conducted a pilot with Jua Kali artisans from Ngong Road, Kariobangi and Kamukunji to produce doors for the 1370 units already completed at a cost of Ksh122 million.
