Young men from Nyeri who once relied on odd jobs at bus stops and hotel yards are finding something they never had before: a skill set, a steady income, and a future they can build on.
At the Blue Valley Affordable Housing Programme site in Nyeri Town Constituency, approximately 170 workers are employed, the majority sourced from the local community. Civil and Structural Engineer Brian Omondi confirmed the figures, noting the site has functioned as far more than a construction project for those it has taken on.
From Bus Stops to Building Sites
Ali Muhammad Wamuguna was among the first residents to join the effort when groundwork began. Before Blue Valley, he was patching together an income from whatever came his way near bus stops and hotels. The money was inconsistent; the work, unreliable.
“When I came here, I didn’t even know how to measure or cut timber accurately,” Wamuguna recalled. “Now, I am a skilled mason, and I can handle carpentry tasks like assembling shuttering. The money I was making before was very little, but this project has given me stable work and real skills.”
Cyrus Wambugu from Kamakwa tells a similar story. Before the site opened, he made ends meet by helping people move house, the kind of work that paid little and offered nothing permanent. Today, he holds the title of site mason.
“This project saved me,” Wambugu said. “I started out doing basic manual work, but now I am a mason. I’ve learned how to lay stones and work with precast concrete blocks. Because of the consistent work here, I’ve been able to start and support my family.”
A Programme With National Ambitions
The Blue Valley site sits within a broader government initiative that Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has championed at both local and continental levels. Speaking at the second African Urban Forum earlier this year, Kindiki called on other African nations to adopt similar programmes as a response to unemployment.
“Today, Kenya is building 270,000 housing units in more than 200 sites across all regions, creating 640,000 jobs and revitalising the construction and allied industries,” he stated as reported by TV47.
Workers at Blue Valley describe it as the largest development project of its scale in the Nyeri area. Many are already looking ahead to Phase Two, where they hope to continue sharpening the trades they have only recently discovered.
For young men who once measured success by how many errands they could run in a day, the site has redrawn what ambition can look like.
