Mainstreaming Care: The Nairobi City County Care Sector Technical Working Group Training.
Following the establishment of the Nairobi City County Care Sector Technical Working Group (TWG), a critical gap remained. It was not structural. It was technical capacity and operationalization. While the structures for coordination were in place, the capacity to operationalize a coherent, city-wide care system was not yet fully developed. Actors across the care ecosystem continued to operate within varying levels of understanding, with limited alignment on how to translate policy commitments into integrated planning, budgeting, and implementation. Without a shared framework and practical tools, the risk of sustaining fragmented approaches remained, potentially constraining the effectiveness of the TWG’s mandate.
To address this gap, Wow Mom Kenya, in partnership with the Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) and supported by Metropolis, convened a three-day, expert-led training on various aspects of care. Bringing together government and non-state actors, the training provided the needed knowledge and skills to translate the TWG’s mandate into coordinated action, strengthening the link between policy commitment and effective implementation.
Prior to the training, a self-assessment of care capacities and needs was conducted across care sectors. The assessment revealed that care actors demonstrated the strongest capacity in service delivery management and community engagement (43%), reflecting robust operational experience and sub-county collaboration. Understanding of the care economy was moderately high (33%), supported by recent partner-led trainings and growing technical awareness. Conversely, planning, budgeting, and monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (M&E) were identified as key gaps, with 43% rating their capacity low to very low, constrained by limited budgets, technical expertise, and weak data systems. These findings directly informed the design of the TWG training curriculum, ensuring it addressed both strengths and critical capacity gaps
The objective of the training was to strengthen a shared understanding of the economic and social value of care, equip TWG members with practical tools to integrate care into county planning and budgeting, and enhance their capacity for implementation, accountability, and advocacy to secure sustained investment in care services.
Training Approach
Delivered over three days, from 3rd to 5th March 2026, in Machakos County with in-person participation by TWG members, the expert-led programme combined technical depth with practical application and was structured around a clear day-by-day schedule, as outlined below:
DAY 1: Foundations of Care: Care as a Development and Governance Issue.
Day one focused on building a shared understanding of care as a development, economic, and governance priority, elevating it from an invisible household responsibility to a core public function. The sessions were facilitated by Mr. Chryspin Afifu, Gender and Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist with over 16 years’ experience in governance, policy, and advocacy across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Overall, Day 1 established a strong conceptual and strategic foundation by positioning care as public infrastructure, linking it to economic and social outcomes, identifying systemic gaps within Nairobi’s care ecosystem, and providing practical frameworks for embedding care into government systems, thereby setting the stage for subsequent sessions on financing, implementation, monitoring, and advocacy.
DAY 2: Financing Care: Making Care Visible in Plans and Budgets.
Day two focused on translating care into practical government systems, equipping the Technical Working Group (TWG) to make care visible, prioritized, and financed within Nairobi City County Government. Facilitated by Mr. Kefa Omanga, a care economist specializing in the intersection of care, public finance, and governance, the sessions strengthened participants’ capacity to integrate Care-Responsive Budgeting into county planning, reduce care burdens, and promote inclusive economic participation.
Day 3: Implementation, Monitoring and Advocacy for Scale.
The Technical Working Group (TWG) participants were equipped with the knowledge to translate care policy into actionable interventions, strengthen accountability, and advance strategic advocacy for sustained investment. Facilitated by Purity Jebor, a gender justice advocate with extensive experience in care policy and community development, the sessions framed advocacy as a multi-level strategy to influence policy, resource allocation, and public engagement. Participants were introduced to a structured approach integrating evidence, human-centered narratives, targeted messaging, media engagement, and multi-stakeholder coordination, positioning care as a critical economic and development priority.
Participants reported an immediate enhancement in their understanding of care systems and demonstrated practical ability to apply tools for planning, budgeting, and implementation, reflecting a strengthened capacity to translate learning into action within their respective roles.
The training concluded with a certificate award ceremony, during which Ms. Rosemary Kariuki, County Executive Committee Member for Inclusivity, Public Participation and Customer Service, Nairobi City County Government, reaffirmed the County Government’s commitment to advancing an inclusive, care-responsive system and called on all stakeholders to sustain momentum and strengthen partnerships in delivering the TWG’s agreed priorities.
With enhanced capacity and a unified approach, the TWG is now poised to advance coordinated action across the care sector. Members are expected to lead policy and legislative initiatives, facilitate the integration of care into county systems, and promote the adoption of standards that elevate service quality and accessibility. Through sustained collaboration, the TWG will also champion advocacy for long-term public investment, ensuring that care is not only recognized as a priority but consistently resourced and delivered effectively across Nairobi. The question is no longer whether care systems matter, but whether they are designed to function at scale.
Read more about the establishment of the Nairobi City County Care Sector Technical Working Group: Here
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