Woman traders in Nairobi’s markets go home with almost nothing in the absence of quality, sufficient and standard childcare facilities, a new study has shown.
Torn between taking care of their children and tending to the daily trading activities, these women spend over 7 percent of their daily income on childcare; beyond the affordability threshold.
Conducted by Wow Mom, Dalberg and BSD, the study found out that 84 percent of women rely on self-care or unsafe arrangements for their children while working.
“Childcare responsibilities reduce both the working hours and earnings by 53 percent,” the study aimed at understanding the specific and diverse childcare needs of women traders in Nairobi market centers notes.
Lead researchers congregated in Nairobi towards the end of the week pointed out that the study also aims to leverage these insights to influence policies that improve affordable and accessible childcare services.
Women make up the majority of traders in Nairobi markets, most of them earning around Sh500 per day while paying up to Sh200 for daycare.
Consequently, the study points out that these children grow up in unsafe, unhygienic spaces, while the women work fewer hours and earn less.
“Families stay trapped in economic vulnerability, and informal markets under-perform as economic hubs,” the study’s findings further shows.
About 600 women traders who were surveyed across six Nairobi markets, revealed that only 21percent use daycare services, often constrained by affordability and location.
According to the study over 70 percent of unemployed market women would enter the workforce if childcare was affordable, meaning that the facilities are highly needed.
“Cultural norms favour family-based care; 56 percent prefer self-provided childcare, while 82 percent prefer childcare near home, mostly within 5-10 minutes walking distance,” says the study.
While women prefer Government or NGO-operated facilities due to trust and safety concerns, 87 percent report partners assist in childcare: mainly with education (62 percent), feeding (56 percent), and playing (54 percent) and desire increased active paternal involvement in the caregiving burden.
If the facilities are available, the study says, women can afford to spend about Sh100 per day for childcare that meet quality standards.
“Health, sanitation, and safety are top priorities in choosing childcare providers,” notes the study.
The gaps identified by the study led to the review of the Nairobi City County Market Centre Child Care Draft Policy 2025 last week. This is a proposed framework that’s aimed at strengthening market-based childcare, and is expected to unlock economic opportunities for women traders working in markets.
Over 80 percent of women in Nairobi’s informal sector are facing significant childcare barriers that limit their ability to work, earn, and grow their businesses. Subsequently, the new policy introduces a structured, affordable, and high-quality childcare system integrated within county-managed markets.
“Women in markets carry the weight of both enterprise and caregiving, often at great personal and economic cost,” said Peninah Ndegwa, Founder of Wow Mom.
“This policy gives women the freedom to work with dignity and the assurance that their children are safe, cared for, and thriving. When we invest in childcare, we invest in stronger families, resilient communities, and a more inclusive economy.”
Through this workshop, the County government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that policy solutions are informed by both robust research and the lived realities of women traders, creating a framework that supports economic empowerment while
promoting quality childcare for children
Evidence shows that women traders spend up to 40 hours per week on unpaid childcare, forcing many to miss work or bring children into unsafe market environments, compromising both income and child wellbeing.
“This policy will mark a historic shift. For the first time, childcare will be recognized as essential economic infrastructure,” said Joel Muli, Director of Markets, Nairobi County.
She stated that by providing safe and affordable childcare in markets, the effort not just about supporting children, but also empowering women, strengthening families, and boosting the economy of Nairobi.
“We are breaking barriers by also offering flexible market-based training sessions that respect women’s gift-giving strategies,” Ndegwa noted.
And the goal, according to WOW MOM, is to train at least 1,000 women traders in the next two years, meaning that a similar number of women are empowered as well as businesses strengthened, with equal families uplifted.
“When we invest in child care, we invest in women, and when we invest in them, we are transforming households, markets, and the entire county economy,” she added.
The workshop was convened by Wow Mom, in collaboration with Dalberg Research and BSD Group and brought together county government officials, donors, private sector representatives, market associations, civil society organizations, media, policy experts
and women traders, making it one of the most inclusive consultative forums on childcare policy in the county to date.
Participants analyzed evidence gathered by Dalberg Research, shared lived
experiences from market environments, and contributed to shaping policy
recommendations that respond to the realities faced by women working in markets.
The Nairobi City County Market Centre Child Care Draft Policy 2025 proposes:
affordable childcare services within markets, safe, accessible and regulated childcare centers designed to meet national early childhood development (ECD) standards. This will include hygiene, nutrition, and child protection requirements.
This also ensures there’s flexible operating hours, opening from 6:30am to 7:00pm to align with market trading schedules.
Wow Mom has piloted market-based daycare facilities in Mwariro market, offering safe, secure, nurturing spaces for children while employing trained caregivers.
“The initiative has already demonstrated transformative impact- enabling women traders to work longer hours, increase productivity, expand their businesses and pursue entrepreneurship,” Ndegwa noted.
Compelling data reinforces this reality. According to Dalberg Research’s 2023 study, every Sh1 invested in childcare yields up to Sh2.40 in economic returns, driven by increased productivity and income.
“Every thriving economy rests on the invisible shoulders of care work.
“It is the heartbeat of households, the glue of communities, and the silent engine of our workforce. Yet, it remains unpaid, undervalued, and overwhelmingly carried by women.”
These words by caregiving advocates helps to illuminate the cost of inaction in establishing child care facilities.
“Picture a mother in the cucumber market, selling vegetables, negotiating with customers, and at the same time, rocking her baby,” Eva Muraya, the founder and Chief Executive Officer, BSD Group highlighted, continuing that this woman’sstore is not just a business.
“It is a massage room, a playground, and a clinic, all at once.”
And this is the reality of thousands of women cleaners in Nairobi, she said, stating that a way of building a prosperous city must be found to protect women, children and the economic prosperity of the county.
“And the baseline findings tell a powerful story,” she said, expressing concern that with 84 percent of women bringing their children to stores or caring for them while working is a matter that should be given proper attention to where market spaces are crowded, unsafe, and far from child-friendly.
Wow Mom is a leading social enterprise committed to creating child-friendly cities and strengthening the care systems that support women and young children.
In partnership with Dalberg Research and BSD Group, and with the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Scaling Care Innovations in Africa Initiative, WOW MOM is implementing a project titled “Driving Equality: Availing Affordable and Accessible Childcare in Market Centres in Kenya.”
The project aims to empower women traders by addressing childcare-related barriers, enabling them to focus on their businesses, and supporting Nairobi County in developing the Nairobi City County Market Centre Childcare Policy.
