SME sector woes: Jua Kali facing unfair competition

Kenya is grappling with the puzzle of empty pockets in an economy which is seeing better growth than most countries in the world. Economists have argued that the government has focused on profit and not people and therefore while the bottom line is growing, ordinary Kenyans are losing jobs and even those who have a steady income are struggling to make ends meet due to rising inflation. This week we spent time with workers of the largest and still growing informal sector, and spoke to the Secretary General of the Jua kali Association Joseph Nyaoro. Joseph Nyaro takes us around the hub of Nairobi’s small scale traders. nd as our report reveals, whereas the jua kali sector continues to create more jobs for Kenyans than formal enterprise, customers are dwindling as artisans face unfair competition from Chinese products and struggle even more to access capital.