KIDENDA SANKOFAISM AND HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA’S JUA KALI SECTOR

Abstract

The Jua Kali sector (JKS) plays an integral role in the growth and development of the Kenyan economy. The sector employs more than 83% of the total workforce and contributes about 18% of GDP. While the sector is renowned for its resilience and job-creation capacity, it faces a myriad of skills development challenges, including overreliance on traditional apprenticeships, limited digital literacy, weak managerial competencies, and minimal formal training from TVET institutions. This paper examined the application of Sankofaism as a decolonial strategy for enhancing human capital development in the JKS. The paper draws on the extant literature to establish that “Productive Sankofarism” supports the selective retrieval of pre-colonial craftsmanship, indigenous knowledge, and communitarian values, while simultaneously integrating modern competencies, including digital marketing, financial management, and Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET). The study also established deficit narrative associated with the Jua Kali sector has promoted Eurocentric formalisation. The adoption of Sankofaism reverses this neocolonial approach by repositioning the sector as a site of African innovation and ingenuity. Additionally, the findings suggested that Sankofaism validates traditional apprenticeship as a legitimate pedagogy. The concept also supports the constructs and ideology of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which is necessary for labour mobility within the sector. However, critical application of Sankofaism is necessary for avoiding the perpetuation of harmful norms such as gender exclusion. In sum, Sankofaism offers a robust framework for hybrid skills development that can wok effective with both CBET and RPL. Therefore, Sankofaism should be integrated into TVET curricula, communitarian cooperatives, and gender-inclusive retrieval practices.