Community Proposals
Two active proposals building the Kilifi economy from the ground up: empowering elder artisans and protecting boda boda riders.
Uwezo Wetu Self-Help Group · Mijikenda Cultural Craft Enterprise
Mikono ya Mzee: Hands of the Elder
A proposal to activate, equip, and market-connect Kilifi County's eldest Mijikenda artisans, enabling them to produce cultural craft products competing in regional, national, and international markets, while transferring their skills to the next generation of Kilifi youth.
The Problem: Three Crises, One Solution
The Silencing of the Elder. In Kilifi County, the majority of elderly citizens above 65 survive on the Inua Jamii stipend of KES 2,000 per month. Most are perceived by their families and communities as economic liabilities: people to be cared for, not people with something to offer. This perception is profoundly wrong, and profoundly wasteful. The elderly Mijikenda artisan does not need a salary to be productive. She needs palm fibre and thread. He needs a well-maintained carving tool and a place to sit and work.
The Synthetic Bag Import Problem. Kenya's plastic bag ban created an enormous, still-largely-unfilled market opportunity for natural fibre alternatives. Kilifi County has the raw materials, the skilled artisans, and the cultural tradition to fill that market but has not organised itself to do so.
The Youth Skills Drought. Mijikenda craft skills can be learned to a productive level in weeks, require no formal education, use locally available materials, and produce goods with genuine market demand. Yet this skills transfer from elder to youth is not happening systematically, because no structure exists to facilitate it. When a Giriama elder who has woven majamvi for sixty years dies without passing on that skill, Kilifi loses something that cannot be recovered.
The Four Product Lines
Sleeping mats, sitting mats, decorative wall mats in Mijikenda geometric patterns. Palm leaf (Miaa), sisal fibre, natural dye plants. Target: hotels, homes, tourist retail, East African diaspora markets.
Shopping baskets, storage baskets, gift baskets, handbags in multiple sizes. Palm leaf, sisal, coconut fibre, natural dyes. Target: retail markets, Nairobi boutiques, hotel gift shops, online export.
Reusable shopping bags in small, medium, and large sizes, a direct replacement for plastic bags. Target: county government procurement, supermarkets, corporate gifting.
Cooking sticks, wooden spoons, ladles, decorative serving bowls, small carved figures. Hardwood offcuts, driftwood, reclaimed wood. Target: kitchen retailers, restaurant supply, tourism curios.
Budget Summary: KES 600,000
| Budget Component | Amount (KES) | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| A: Workspace Setup and Infrastructure | 92,500 | 15.4% |
| B: Tools, Machines and Equipment | 165,000 | 27.5% |
| C: Raw Materials, 12-Month Supply | 214,000 | 35.7% |
| D: Training, Youth Apprenticeship | 276,000 | 46.0% |
| E: Market Development and Administration | 75,000 | 12.5% |
| Total Requested | 600,000 | 100% |
Cost per elder artisan activated: KES 20,000 · Cost per youth trained: KES 12,000 · Programme breaks even within 6 months · Self-sustaining from Month 9.
12-Month Implementation Plan
Group formalization, workspace establishment, raw material procurement, tool installation, youth apprentice recruitment.
Value addition training, first production run, quality control, product photography, digital listings on WhatsApp, Jumia, and Etsy.
Hotel and tourist shop partnerships established, Nairobi boutique contacts, first export buyer approached, county government procurement.
Full youth apprenticeship completion, expanded product range, export order fulfilled, self-sustainability roadmap complete.
Youth Skills Transfer Model
Each youth apprentice is assigned to a specific elder master artisan for a structured 6-month programme. Month 1: materials knowledge. Month 2: basic weaving. Month 3: advanced Mijikenda patterns. Month 4: natural dyeing. Month 5: value addition, lining, labelling. Month 6: business skills, pricing, and digital listing. Every graduate receives a Certified Mijikenda Artisan certificate endorsed by the sub-county's elder artisan council.
"KES 600,000 changes what she is waiting for. It gives her a workspace, materials, and a market. It brings a young person to sit beside her and learn. It connects the work of her hands to a buyer in Nairobi, in London, in New York, who will pay a fair price for something genuinely irreplaceable."
UWEZO WETU. OUR STRENGTH IS IN OUR HANDS.
Pwani University Students' Union · Kilifi County
Kilifi Boda Boda Road Safety Partnership Campaign
A community-wide proposal to insurance companies, banks, Kenya Police, and Pwani University. Every rider who goes home safe is a family that stays whole.
The Problem: Boda Boda Deaths Are Kilifi's Hidden Crisis
Boda boda motorcycle taxis are the lifeblood of Kilifi County's informal transport economy. Tens of thousands of riders operate daily across the county, connecting villages, markets, health facilities, schools, and businesses in areas where formal public transport does not reach. For the majority of riders, the motorcycle is not just a job: it is the family's only income, the source of school fees, and the foundation of a household's economic stability.
Motorcycles account for over 40% of all road traffic fatalities in Kenya annually, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). In coastal counties, the combination of unlit rural roads, high-speed riding culture, inadequate helmets, alcohol involvement, and minimal traffic enforcement creates conditions where a boda boda rider faces a statistically significant daily risk of death or serious injury. This is a solvable crisis. And this campaign proposes to solve it together.
This campaign is explicitly non-political. It carries no party affiliation, endorses no candidate, and requires no political support to function. The only slogan on campaign materials is "Kilifi Yetu. Kesho Yetu.", which belongs to every Kilifi citizen regardless of who they vote for.
Four Partners. One Purpose.
The boda boda sector represents one of the largest untapped insurance markets in coastal Kenya. Partners staff registration desks at all events, offer a Campaign Special Rate, provide 500 free 30-day starter policies to uninsured riders, and fund and brand reflector safety jackets with the campaign identity. In return: direct access to thousands of previously uninsured riders, jacket visibility across all county routes, and lasting brand loyalty.
Most boda boda riders are unbanked or informally banked. Bank partners open mobile banking desks at all events, launch a Boda Boda Business Account, offer loan restructuring consultations, and conduct 30-minute financial literacy sessions. In return: thousands of new account openings per campaign cycle, access to a loyal high-frequency transaction community, and reduced non-performing loan ratios.
The campaign offers Kenya Police an opportunity no enforcement programme can provide: to be seen by the boda boda community as protectors rather than predators. Police provide 2-3 uniformed traffic officers at each ward event to engage and educate, host "Know Your Rights" sessions, and commit to a 30-day Campaign Enforcement Moratorium immediately following each ward event.
Students are the most credible road safety messengers available: young, educated, local, and without commercial or enforcement agenda. Pwani University students serve as campaign lead organiser, facilitate all ward events, create all digital content, conduct peer-to-peer road safety education through skits and demonstrations, administer the registration system, manage jacket distribution, and produce the full impact report.
The Reflector Jacket: Brand, Safety, and Community Identity
Front: sponsoring business logo and "KILIFI ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN". Back: "KILIFI YETU. KESHO YETU." in bold reflective text with Pwani University and partner logos. Each partner sponsors a minimum 200 jackets, creating visible ward-level brand presence worn daily across every route in Kilifi.
per jacket
Ward Safety Day: A 4-Hour Community Event
Campaign Targets
Suggested Partner Contribution Framework
| Partner Type | Suggested Contribution | What This Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Company (per company) | KES 300,000 – 500,000 | 200-400 co-branded jackets, registration desk staffing, 500 free starter policies, marketing materials |
| Commercial Bank (per bank) | KES 250,000 – 400,000 | 200 co-branded jackets, account opening infrastructure, savings bonus fund, financial literacy materials |
| Microfinance Institution | KES 100,000 – 200,000 | 50-100 jackets, loan counselling desk staffing, loan restructuring fund |
| Kenya Police Service | In-kind only | Officer time, NTSA safety materials, 30-day moratorium |
| Pwani University | In-kind only | Student committee, facilitation, digital content, registration, impact report |
| Estimated Total Campaign Budget | KES 1.2M – 2.0M | Cost per rider reached: KES 240 – 400 |
"The most important measure of this campaign's success will not appear in any spreadsheet. It will appear at the roadside, at dusk, when a Kilifi boda boda rider heads home wearing a reflector jacket, and another driver sees them in time. That is a life saved. That is the family that stays whole."
KILIFI YETU. KESHO YETU.
Submitted by: Pwani University Students' Union · Kilifi Boda Boda Road Safety Campaign Committee · 2026