NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15 — More than 1,000 women operating informal childcare centres in Nairobi are set to benefit from an initiate aimed at formalizing the sector through licensing, clearer standards, and business support.
The intervention is part of a joint initiative by the Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) and Kidogo, a social enterprise that aims to improve access to quality, affordable early childhood care and education in low-income communities.
The announcement was made during the 2025 Kidogo Mamapreneurs Celebration, which brought together women running small daycare centres across Nairobi and its outskirts — a segment increasingly recognised for supporting thousands of working parents, particularly mothers, in the city’s growing urban labour market.
The county says formalising the sector is becoming essential as childcare emerges as a structural factor influencing workforce productivity.
“These childcare providers have been under-recognised and under-appreciated for the valuable contribution they make in society,” said Kidogo CEO Sabrina Habib.
“The risks and gaps we’re seeing are that this is a sector that operates under the shadows. It means obtaining the regulations, it means getting licenses, it means ensuring quality standards.”
Kidogo currently operates in 12 counties and 100 communities nationwide, with Nairobi expected to serve as a reference point for other counties seeking to adopt similar reforms.
County Executive for Talent, Skills Development and Care Brian Mulama said the government is seeking more partnerships to meet growing demand.
He noted that county initiatives, including school meals and maternal care, have reached about 316,000 children, but more support will be required to extend services into informal settlements.
The formalisation effort is expected to influence household incomes by enabling more women to remain in the workforce or seek employment while providing daycare operators a pathway to grow their micro-enterprises under structured county guidelines.
