Pages

"helping Small Business Owners Scale the Steps to Business Success"

"helping Small Business Owners Scale the Steps to Business Success"
Symbol of Hope for Small Businesses in East Africa

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Minister for Youth Affairs visits jua kali (MSEs) at Kamukunji Jua Kali Association in Nairobi,Kenya

A high powered government delegation led by the Minister for Youth Affairs Hon. Prof. Sambili visited the informal economic sector (Jua Kali) youth entrepreneurs based in Kamukunji Jua Kali Association yesterday 10th December 2009.among the guests were: the Permanent Secretary for youth affairs Mr. Waweru, the Chief Executive of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund Mr. Umuro wario, the Deputy Director, Youth Development, Mr. Stephen K. Kirui, the Chief Executive of the Kenya Association of Youth Entrepreneurs, Mr. Tonnie Mello and other major stakeholders from the Entrepreneurship for Youth Empowerment Initiative in Kenya (EYE).

Kamukunji Jua Kali Association (one of the 800 primary jua kali associations in Kenya)with more than 6000 artisans is home to more than 2000 young entrepreneurs (Jua Kali Artisans) engaged in the production of various metal products i.e., wheelbarrows, nails, institutional stoves, shovels etc
The youth in the Informal Economic Sector in Kenya are divided into:
A. Manufacturing
B. Small Traders
C. Service Providers
D. Agro Based (Small farmers)

The manufacturing actors popularly known as the Jua kali artisans operate in around 18 sub sectors covering: Woodworkers/carpentry, Wood crafts, Metal and Metal works, Soapstone crafts, Ceramics, Plastic and Plastic Products, Leather Production, Textile products(with several subsections i.e. screen printing etc),Clay/Poetry crafts, Beekeeping, Mechanical Engineering ,food processing, Electrical/ electronic etc.

The Small Traders actors are both in the formal and informal sub sectors with the later referred to as hawkers and trade in all sorts of goods combined, an example being the Muthurwa Market, Gikomba Market, the many shops etc.
The service providers are actors in services like: watch repairers, shoe shiners, newspaper venders, delivery services, garbage collection, car wash, charcoal dealers, transport, real estate agencies etc.

It is upon the viability of the above mentioned informal economic youth enterprises sector that lies the home of the country's creativity, ingenuity and energy. A significant proportion of rural youth Labour force will continue to depend on this sector to supplement their incomes as well as for self-employment.
On behalf of the Jua Kali Sector Artisans in Kenya, we thank the Minister and her team most sincerely for taking time off to visit the young entrepreneurs based in Kamukunji Jua Kali Association



Richard N. Muteti
Director, SMES-EA
CEO, KNFJA
Patron, Kenya Association of Young Entrepreneurs (KAYE)