Working alongside construction teams at the Field Marshal Muthoni Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) Market has given electrical intern Mary Njugi an opportunity to expand her technical skills beyond her area of training.
Njugi, who is attached to the project in Rware Ward, says her work has mainly involved electrical installations, including piping and ongoing electrical droppings.
“Mostly I have been doing electrical work. Right now, we are doing droppings. I have learnt about piping,” she says.
The experience has also exposed her to other areas of construction, including steel fixing, giving her practical knowledge beyond electrical work.
“Apart from being an electrical engineer, I have learnt more about construction, steel fixing, and I have been able to network,” Njugi says.
Her experience is part of the skills development taking place alongside construction of the market, where Project Clerk of Works Dorcas Kathambi Kang’ethe says seven interns have been engaged.
Kang’ethe says the interns have gained practical experience during their time on site, with some developing an interest in construction.
“In this project, we have seven interns, and I can see the day they came in, and today they have improved. They have learnt something new; some have even changed their courses, they have started doing construction,” she says.
According to the project brief, the Field Marshal Muthoni ESP Market is designed to provide market infrastructure and supporting public facilities while creating employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers within the locality.
The project is currently at about 97 per cent completion and is awaiting handover.
Its objective is to provide a better trading environment by relocating traders from the bus terminal and to provide additional trading space to accommodate a higher number of traders.
The scope of works includes construction of the market block and supporting facilities, electrical and mechanical installations, cold stores, an ICT hub, an ablution block, a waste cubicle and parking spaces.
The works also include masonry, roofing, plastering, tiling, painting, doors, windows and ceiling works.
Kang’ethe says the project provided employment for skilled and unskilled workers, with about 100 labourers engaged on busy days during construction.
For Njugi, the practical experience has allowed her to complement her electrical training with broader construction knowledge while building professional networks.
She says the experience has also exposed her to the wider role construction projects can play in giving young people opportunities to develop skills and pursue employment.
The project brief identifies employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers within the locality as one of the socio-economic impacts of the development.
