Jua Kali artisans win Sh264m window and door orders on Eldoret housing project
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Eighty-three Jua Kali associations supplied windows and doors worth Ksh 264 million for the Pioneer Affordable Housing Project in Eldoret, supporting more than 956 micro, small and medium enterprises.
Jua Kali artisans have earned Ksh 264 million making windows and doors for the Pioneer Affordable Housing Project in Eldoret, which President William Ruto opened last week, according to the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA).
Eighty-three Jua Kali associations and groups took part in the supply contracts, and their work supported more than 956 micro, small and medium enterprises. Instead of imported fittings, the project drew on welders, carpenters and metal fabricators from Kenya's informal manufacturing sector.
MSEA's Uasin Gishu County office organised the artisans, coordinated their participation and arranged subcontracting deals that brought small workshops into the project's supply chain, the authority said.
At the opening ceremony Ruto handed a symbolic cheque to participating MSMEs and promised the sector more opportunities through government development programmes.
MSEA estimates that opportunities worth Ksh 3.8 billion are lined up for Jua Kali enterprises across the North Rift region, spanning affordable housing projects, markets and hostels. That pipeline could keep workshops busy well beyond the Eldoret scheme.
For the participating enterprises, the value goes beyond a single payment: steady orders support hiring and equipment purchases, while a record of delivering at scale strengthens their case when bidding for future public contracts.
The Pioneer project has been positioned by the government as a test of local-content sourcing in the affordable housing programme, which has faced scrutiny over procurement costs and unit pricing.