President William Ruto has announced that a group of jua kali artisans who work along Ngong’ Road, Nairobi have landed a Sh140 million tender from the government.
Speaking at the Diaspora Investment Conference at KICC on December 13, President Ruto said the group would be providing material for the affordable housing units.
He said that the affordable housing plan would stimulate the ecosystem of the manufacture of construction products.
“Recently, I was giving a cheque of Sh140 million to fellows making furniture on Ngong’ Road.
"Those fellows nowadays are entrepreneurs. They might look like jua kali people but they are very good. They are doing doors and windows for our housing plan,” he said.
In 2020, Ruto, who was the deputy president at the time met with innovative carpenters who work along Ngong Road after their adjustable bench went viral on social media.
Two carpenters, Stephen Odhiambo and Dennis Otieno amazed Ruto with their unique product, after which he decided to purchase three benches at Sh150,000.
President Ruto has defended the government’s plan to achieve affordable housing on several occasions.
READ: Non-salaried Kenyans to pay Ruto's housing levy in new Affordable Housing Bill
The government is targeting up to 1 million jobs annually through the Affordable Housing project tendering process.
The project aims to build 200 housing units per constituency, resulting in 58,000 units when completed.
This initiative is expected to foster localized economic growth and job opportunities at the constituency level, improving people's quality of life and promoting enterprise growth and job creation.
Key points about the project include:
- The tendering process began on August 2, 2023, and concluded on August 18, 2023.
- Each housing unit constructed generates 3 to 5 direct jobs and up to 8 indirect jobs.
- Since Ruto assumed office, 36,092 new units have been initiated in various regions, resulting in 120,000 jobs