The juakali sector in Garissa is poised to receive millions of shillings from supplying building materials to the affordable housing projects in the county.
According to the Northeastern Coordinator for Affordable Housing and Markets, John Karanja, Garissa County is receiving Sh1.03 billion for housing projects alone.
The projects include the construction of the 408 housing units, which are about 40 per cent complete; 1,720-bed capacity hostels at the Garissa University; and a modern market at a cost of Sh288 million, among others.
Speaking during a meeting with the juakali sector representatives and the housing contractors in Garissa town, Karanja said that the contractors have an obligation to cascade the works to all the levels, which include sourcing of materials from local artisans.
“In the Affordable Housing projects, we have 75 ring-fenced items, which include the windows, steel doors, flash doors, and landscaping works, as well as the painting works, among others, for the Jua Kali sector,” Karanja said.
“We came here to have the juakali artisans start onboarding themselves into these works. It is a mutual understanding between the contractor and the juakali but more importantly, the government is very deliberate that an item that has been earmarked for the juakali must be undertaken by the juakali,” he added.
Garissa Township Member of Parliament Dekow Mohamed encouraged the young people, especially those skilled in plumbing, electricians, welders and painters in the county, to take up the job opportunities to better their lives.
Mohamed thanked President William Ruto for giving out a directive requiring the local artisans to be given opportunities to supply some materials for the housing projects, noting that it would not only provide job opportunities but also grow the local economy.
“I want to encourage the juakali guys to be prepared because we have another 2000 units coming up and two other markets in the pipeline. There are also many other associated infrastructures, which will have opportunities for them,” Mohamed said.
“The youth in this county should also be prepared to grab these opportunities. Within this year, we will build about 3000 housing units for construction so you can imagine the economic benefit that this will bring to us,” he added.
Abubakar Mohamed, the Chairperson for the Garissa Juakali Federation, said that they have never had such high-value opportunities, noting that they would be able to expand their workshop and improve the quality of their products from the capital.
“The juakali artisans usually work under tough conditions and sometimes are looked down upon because they do a lot of hard work but they never had any opportunity.
They have minimal tools because their working capital is low but if they are given this opportunity, they will equip their workshops and uplift themselves,” Abubakar said.
By Erick Kyalo
