The Kariokor Leather Factory is set to undergo a facelift after the Nairobi government signed a deal with the Kenya Leather Development Council for equipment
The market will be revamped, with the latest technological equipment expected to be installed to aid in the manufacture of quality shoes and other leather products.
Speaking during the signing of the MoU, county council CEO Issack Noor said the deal will also create jobs, with the main target being the youth.
“It is our business to collaborate and ensure people who have been serving in the market for many years get the best materials to use and produce good quality,” he said
Before its renovation, the Kariokor market used to house only about 1,000 traders.
Governor Mike Sonko urged the council to expedite the process of installing the machines to the market to fast-track progress.
“At the moment, Old Kariokor Market has around 1,000 employees but after the launch of the new market, we are expecting to house at least 10,000 workers in the next three years,” he said.
The equipment is currently being stored in Thika by the KLDC awaiting completion of the market.
HIGH PRODUCTION: A trader works on leather belts at old Kariokor leather market on April 15
Located in the Kariokor ward of Starehe sub-county, the multimillion-shilling facility is set to improve leather production and hasten the process.
The facility is expected to have an average annual production growth of 10 million shoes from the current two million. This will increase traders’ annual income to more than Sh1 billion annually by 2022.
Nairobi has the highest number of slaughterhouses with an average annual production of 525 tonnes of hides and skins, 1.6 tonnes of goatskin, 31.5 tonnes of calf hides, and 199 tonnes of camel hides.
Once complete, the county government had earlier stated it would introduce training sessions for employees on how to operate the machines.
“Currently, their products are of good quality but they have been experiencing problems during finishing. When it is hand-done it is not as of good quality as when it is done by the machines, but all this will soon change,” Markets director Fredrick Ndunyu said.