ClariFi · Kenya MSME · Construction

Fundis, Cash Flow & Concrete Dreams

Policy & donor brief — Otieno Builds, small contractor case study

“Kazi iko, lakini pesa haikai.”
There is work, but money does not stay.

Who is Otieno Builds?

A former mason now managing residential and commercial jobs: extensions, boundary walls, shop renovations, septic tanks, and small apartment blocks. He coordinates labour, materials, client trust, and supplier credit — often via notebook, WhatsApp, and memory.

Reality on the ground

Cash flow — client money arrives in phases; site costs are daily.
Labour — fundis paid weekly; cannot wait for milestone transfers.
Materials — cement, steel, ballast, sand; prices move mid-project.
Records — fragmented across channels; hard to see true margin.
Trust — progress photos unlock the next payment.

Illustrative project (Syokimau maisonette)

Metric	KES
Contract sum	1,800,000
Amount received	950,000
Balance due from client	850,000
Total expenses recorded	1,530,000
Estimated profit (on paper)	270,000 (~15% margin)

Pressure: late client payments, rising cement costs, weekly wage demands, transport spikes, and unrecorded cash purchases. Question: Is the project building profit or consuming cash?

Why visibility matters

Small contractors build homes, shops, churches, schools, and rentals — and employ neighbourhoods. Programs that start with products before understanding cash timing fail. ClariFi supports project-level visibility, cash-flow planning, records discipline, supplier/market links, and workforce recognition.

Policy asks

Accept milestone-based project records alongside bank statements for working-capital programs.
Track material price shock as an MSME risk factor, not only borrower “discipline.”
Fund digital record-keeping that works on smartphones and WhatsApp — not desktop-only ERP.