“BuildHer” is Demolishing Trade Barriers for Women in Kenya
Date Posted: July 7, 2026
Posted In: Ideas,
On the busy workshop floor at Furniture International on the outskirts of Nairobi, workers often have to shout to be heard over the din of circular saws, hammers and machinery. “At first, I was very shy,” says 24-year-old machine operator Diana Ojiambo — slight, with a blue bandana tied over long braids — as she feeds cabinet panels through a PVC edger. “I didn’t know how to stand in front of people and speak up. But now I can.”
Nearby, amid a sea of male coworkers, three other women sand and assemble cabinetry, while 23-year-old supervisor Jane Mwangi moves between stations, checking measurements and overseeing progress. Barely a year ago, none of these women had ever worked in the industry. Ojiambo had never worked alongside men before.
Women a Rarity, Despite Blockbuster Building
Women remain a rarity across Kenya’s building trades, even as a frenetic construction boom, particularly in Nairobi, has helped turn the sector into a multi-billion-dollar industry. According to figures from Kenya’s National Construction Authority, women accounted for just 3% of the country’s accredited construction artisans.
Buildher, a Nairobi-based nonprofit, is trying to change that. The organization runs year-long training and internship programs in carpentry, tiling, painting and other finishing trades, helping women access steadier, better-paid work in the sector. Since its inception in 2019, Buildher says it has trained more than 1,000 women, with graduates increasing their average daily earnings roughly five- to six-fold within a year of training — from about $1.50 to between $11 and $12.
65% of Grads Remain, Post Year One
A 2024 study by Dalberg, a global development advisory firm, found that around 65% of Buildher graduates were still working in construction 12 months after completing the program.
“I had seen women get stuck in low-paying jobs, and it was like a mental barrier where they couldn’t see the potential right in front of them,” says architect and Buildher cofounder Tatu Gatere. “So I wanted to help women see that.”