Uasin Gishu County Pushes for Market-Based Childcare to Empower Women Traders
Proper nutrition is also a central pillar, with plans to promote balanced diets for children under care.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
Uasin Gishu County has launched a new initiative to establish childcare services within local markets, a move aimed at supporting women traders and ensuring the safety and well-being of young children.
The program is a collaboration between the County Government of Uasin Gishu, Niera, and the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST). Through a joint research project, the partners are seeking to design gender-responsive childcare models that reflect the daily realities of mothers who work in open-air markets.
According to stakeholders behind the initiative, a large number of women traders in the county are forced to juggle business with motherhood, often with no alternative but to bring their children to their stalls due to lack of affordable and reliable childcare.
“Many of our businessmen and businesswomen are mothers with children. Our government has said that we need to look at the needs of our children,” an official said during a stakeholder engagement forum held in Eldoret.
The forum brought together market leaders, mothers, county officials and researchers to share experiences and identify gaps in childcare services within market centres. Organizers said listening to parents is critical to developing solutions that are practical and sustainable.
The research component, led by JOOUST, is expected to generate evidence to guide the establishment of childcare facilities that are not only safe but also sensitive to the cultural and economic context of market communities.
“The unique part of this collaboration is that we are using research to provide evidence to develop services that are sensitive to the needs and realities of women and the market communities,” said a project representative.
Stakeholders said the proposed childcare centres should provide children with safe spaces to sleep, play, change clothes and access nutritious food while their mothers continue with their trading activities.
Hygiene and cleanliness have been singled out as key priorities, with calls for high standards to protect children from infections and other health hazards in busy market environments. Proper nutrition is also a central pillar, with plans to promote balanced diets for children under care.
In addition, the program will focus on training caregivers to ensure children are handled professionally, with adequate attention, protection and early childhood development support.
Women traders who attended the engagement welcomed the idea, saying reliable childcare would give them peace of mind and improve their productivity.
“As a mother, I see that having a place for the children to sleep is very good. It has also helped us as mothers because there is a place where the children can sleep, they can play and they can change their clothes during the day,” one mother said.
Stakeholders argue that investing in childcare is directly linked to women’s economic empowerment. When mothers are confident that their children are safe, they are more likely to participate fully in business, increase their incomes and contribute to household and county economic growth.
The partners say the long-term goal is to create child-friendly market environments across Uasin Gishu, where women can pursue their livelihoods without compromising the welfare of their children.
They have pledged to ensure that research findings are translated into actionable solutions and called for continued collaboration between the county government, researchers, market communities and development partners to ensure the initiative succeeds and can be scaled up to more markets in the county.
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