President Ruto Launches Government-Funded Artisan Certification Programme to Link Skilled Workers to Affordable Housing Jobs

President William Ruto has announced a new government-backed initiative to formally certify artisans across the country, a move designed to link skilled labor directly to jobs being created under the Affordable Housing Programme. The certification programme was unveiled as part of broader efforts to professionalize the construction workforce, improve the quality of housing projects, and ensure that ordinary Kenyans with technical skills can access decent, documented work.

Speaking during the launch, the President said the government recognizes that a large portion of the people building Kenya’s homes, roads and other infrastructure have learned their trade through years of hands-on experience, but lack formal papers to prove it. Without those qualifications, many are locked out of large public projects and formal contracts, even when their craftsmanship is sound. The new programme is intended to close that gap by assessing, training where necessary, and issuing nationally recognized certificates to masons, carpenters, welders, plumbers, electricians and other artisans.

The Affordable Housing Programme, one of the flagship pillars of the administration’s economic agenda, is expected to deliver hundreds of thousands of homes in the coming years. That scale of construction will require a massive workforce. According to the President, it makes little sense to import expertise or rely on an uncertified labor pool when Kenya already has thousands of skilled workers who simply need recognition and support. By giving them formal credentials, the government hopes to raise standards on site, reduce defects and rework, and create a clear pathway from informal work to formal employment with proper wages, social security and career progression.

Officials explained that the certification process will be practical and accessible. Artisans will be assessed against national competency standards rather than being forced back into lengthy classroom courses. Where gaps are identified, short targeted training will be provided to bring workers up to the required level. Once certified, they will be entered into a national database that contractors working on government housing projects can draw from. The idea is to match verified skills with verified opportunities, so that a welder in Eldoret or a mason in Kisumu can be hired with confidence by a developer building units under the programme.

The President emphasized that this is not just about housing. It is about dignity of labor and economic inclusion. For too long, he noted, skilled workers have built the country without the same recognition given to professionals with degrees and diplomas. Formal certification changes that. It gives artisans a document they can use to apply for loans, join cooperatives, bid for tenders, and even seek work abroad. It also protects them, because certified workers under government projects will be covered by labor laws, health and safety requirements, and statutory deductions.

The rollout will be done in partnership with technical and vocational training institutions, industry associations, and county governments. The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development will coordinate with the State Department for Technical, Vocational Education and Training to ensure the assessment tools are standardized and credible. County teams will help with mobilization so that artisans in both urban centers and rural areas know where and how to register. The government also plans to work with contractors to make certification a condition for participation in Affordable Housing sites, ensuring that the demand side is ready to absorb the newly certified workforce.

Labor leaders and industry players who attended the unveiling welcomed the announcement. They argued that Kenya’s construction sector has grown rapidly but informally, leading to inconsistencies in quality and frequent disputes over pay. A formal certification system, they said, will bring order. It will allow contractors to plan better, give workers leverage in negotiations, and give the public assurance that the homes being built meet required standards. Several artisans present at the event described the programme as long overdue. Many said they have spent decades on sites but have never had a certificate to show for it, which has limited their ability to grow their businesses or access bigger projects.

Beyond immediate jobs, the President framed the initiative as part of a larger plan to build a skilled economy. As Kenya urbanizes and invests in infrastructure, demand for certified tradespeople will only increase. By starting with affordable housing, the government is creating a pipeline that can later be extended to other sectors such as roads, energy, manufacturing and exports of labor. The administration also sees the programme as a way to absorb youth who are exiting TVET institutions, giving them a chance to apprentice under certified artisans and then sit for their own assessments.

Funding for the programme will come from the national budget, with support to keep costs low for the workers themselves. The President directed relevant ministries to ensure the process is not bureaucratic or expensive, noting that the whole point is to bring people in, not shut them out. He also called on private developers to adopt the same standards, saying that any project that benefits from government incentives should prioritize certified Kenyan artisans.

The timing of the announcement is deliberate. Construction on several Affordable Housing sites is already underway in different counties, and the government expects the pace to accelerate. Having a certified workforce ready will help avoid delays, cost overruns and quality issues that have plagued some public projects in the past. It also aligns with the administration’s promise to create jobs while delivering tangible assets like homes.

In his remarks, the President urged artisans to take up the opportunity, and urged communities to support their local tradespeople in getting assessed. He said the government’s role is to open the door, but it is up to workers to walk through it. He added that Kenya cannot achieve its housing targets with a workforce that remains invisible to the formal system. Recognizing and equipping artisans is both an economic decision and a social one.

The programme therefore represents a shift in how the state views skilled labor. Instead of treating artisans as casual hands, the government is positioning them as professionals central to national development. With certification, a database, and guaranteed linkages to Affordable Housing projects, the aim is to turn experience into credentials, and credentials into jobs. If implemented as described, it could reshape the construction sector and give thousands of Kenyan workers a formal place in the economy, with the skills they already have now backed by the papers to prove it.