How you will easily find plumber, electrician in Nairobi

A woman attempting to fix a leaky sink pipe. [iStockphoto]

Getting a plumber to fix a leaking kitchen sink or toilet in Nairobi is not a walk in the park.

The hustle of finding these experts and others could however now be a thing of the past after Nairobi County Assembly passed a motion dubbed Virtual Artisan Bureau.

Once implemented, this will allow city residents to easily find artisans who are the drivers of the jua kali sector in the city.

The motion was tabled by Clay City Ward, Mwaura Samora, who noted that finding artisans on a normal day to fix some problems including welding or even painters is troublesome for Nairobians.

"Virtual Services Bureau, residents in the County will allow city residents to remotely access, inquire and seek artisan services such as Plumbing, electrical, carpentry, welding, and painting among others from the registered and vetted service providers of a formal County portal system," Mwaura explained.

He added that through such platforms, the sector will be organized and ensure that they offer the best services.

The MCA added, "That we will no longer depend on word of mouth. I don't need to know someone in Karen to get a job there. This platform elevates everyone to the same page,".

The platform will be a source of revenue for the county government since the county will introduce charges before uploading someone's business to the platform.

The Virtual Artisan Bureau is expected to help in promoting service provisions, where ratings will be used to promote the services that are being offered by the artisans.

The assembly was told that artisans who do shoddy jobs and get poor scores will deny them opportunities in future.

Maringo/Hamza ward member Patrick Macharia in support of the motion said it will be a great boost for the youths who are jobless and have gone through vocational training colleges.

"It is in line with the UDA slogan that kazi ni kazi, because many of the youths in the jua kali sector sometimes are unable to get jobs. In my ward, I have two vocational training courses and it will be a great boost for those completing various training," Macharia said.

Over 60% of youths in Nairobi County were recorded to be unemployed as at the 2019 Census Report.