President William Ruto has unveiled a new package of initiatives aimed at creating jobs and strengthening Nairobi’s informal sector, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to empowering young people through employment, skills development and enterprise support. Speaking at State House during a meeting with more than 5,000 mechanics and artisans from Nairobi County, the President said the government remains focused on creating sustainable economic opportunities that enable youth to build productive livelihoods rather than relying on short-term political rhetoric.
The President announced that the government will provide Ksh80 million to support artisans and mechanics in Nairobi County in acquiring modern tools and equipment. The funding is expected to improve productivity, enhance the quality of services offered by informal sector workers, and enable thousands of small businesses to expand, creating additional employment opportunities across the capital.
President Ruto reiterated that investing in young people remains a central pillar of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). He said the government will continue rolling out programmes that equip youth with practical skills, access to resources, and employment opportunities, enabling them to secure meaningful jobs and establish sustainable businesses. According to the President, empowering youth economically offers a lasting solution to unemployment while unlocking their contribution to national development.
The latest intervention builds on a series of government programmes already employing thousands of young Kenyans. In Nairobi County alone, the Affordable Housing Programme has 36 projects under construction that are expected to deliver more than 180,000 housing units while creating tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs for engineers, artisans, fundis, suppliers, transporters and other skilled workers. The projects have become one of the country’s largest sources of youth employment in the construction sector.
Beyond housing, the government has continued expanding the construction of modern Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) markets across the country. These markets are creating employment during construction while providing modern trading spaces that improve incomes for small-scale traders, artisans and entrepreneurs. The projects form part of a wider strategy to modernize the informal economy, increase business productivity and stimulate local economic growth.
The President also highlighted the progress of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme, under which more than 40,000 Kenyans have already registered to receive formal certification for skills acquired through experience. He encouraged artisans and mechanics to enrol in the programme, noting that official certification will enhance their competitiveness, improve access to financing, and open doors to larger business opportunities both locally and internationally.
Further strengthening the informal sector, President Ruto announced that the government is constructing modern workshops for artisans and mechanics across Nairobi. The facilities are expected to provide safer and more dignified working environments, support business formalisation and licensing, and improve occupational standards. The initiative is designed to transform the traditional jua kali sector into a more productive and competitive contributor to Kenya’s economy.
The government’s latest investment underscores its broader approach of addressing youth unemployment through practical economic empowerment initiatives centered on skills, infrastructure, enterprise support and job creation. As major infrastructure projects, affordable housing developments, ESP markets and skills recognition programmes continue to expand, the administration maintains that creating opportunities for young people to earn sustainable livelihoods remains a more durable pathway to economic inclusion than political mobilisation that does not translate into long-term employment or improved living standards.
