House helps left jobless as savvy Nairobians take up outsourced services

In the workplace, more people are looking to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make work easier; in the construction industry, machines such as concrete mixers do the job, but when it comes to domestic duties, house helps or domestic managers as some refer to them, have been the go to people.

Some have live in helps, others have helpers who commute, while others have what are commonly referred to as 'mama fua' who come a couple of times during the week to help with general cleaning. 

However, a section of Nairobians have taken up a new route of getting their domestic chores done - outsourcing.

There has been an upsurge of businesses seen offering services in Nairobi's estates that aim to cater to the group that are not interested in having house helps, but rather need the services done.

From laundry services to house cleaning and carpet cleaning, the companies have been taking advantage of the savvy residents who want quick services without having a permanent person in their homes.

This has rendered several house helps jobless in an already competitive market as many are seen setting up camp and sitting on the roadside of estates, hoping that cars passing by will stop and seek their services.

The firms have come up with services to cater for just about every chore and others even offer to make pre-cooked meals for clients, with the rise of batch cooking.

"I'm usually busy and I'm looking for healthy meals so these guys literally go shopping for your needs, come chop up vegetables, cook food and arrange it in tins and it can last up to a month," one resident, Maureen Waithaka, said.

The firms who have seen a gap in sorting out needs for demanding Nairobians have also taken up running errands for their clients.

"I have a guy who goes shopping for me and collects parcels when needed," another resident said.

While some still go the way of having a washing machine to eliminate the need for a mama fua, others say it's more convenient to have the laundry service pick the clothes, sort them, clean them and fold them and have them neatly delivered.  

Some of those offering the service do so from Ksh 300, which is less than what would be paid to a mama fua.

Several residents using the services talk of the convenience and advantage that some heavy items such as house curtains are better sorted by commercial laundering services rather than mama fua.

And with the increase in competition, some service providers have had to come up with creative ways of attracting customers. 

"Get your carpet cleaned and dry and delivered within the same day, rain or shine," some adverts claim.

Fast food eateries have also taken up the business of delivering food fast using apps in the race for customers.

Another area where outsourcing is on the rise is day care centres, which some parents opt for when nannies become unreliable or inefficient.

Some even believe that children develop faster when interacting with others at day care centres.  

However, the debate rages on as while Nairobi residents take up the outsourced services, many house helps and other service providers have been rendered jobless.