PS Ummi Bashir, CS Hannah Cheptumo Launch Ushanga Hub Initiative to Empower Women in Maasai Mara
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By John Kariuki
Principal Secretary for Culture and National Heritage, Ummi Bashir, and Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Hon. Hannah Cheptumo, have jointly unveiled plans for the transformative Ushanga Hub at the Sekenani Gate in the iconic Maasai Mara.
Set to serve as a modern cultural mall, the Ushanga Hub will provide a dignified and structured marketplace for local women artisans who have long braved harsh weather to sell their beadwork and crafts by the roadside.
“This is more than a market—it’s a platform for dignity, culture, and sustainable livelihoods,” said PS Bashir. “We are investing in the women who have kept our cultural traditions alive through their craft.”
The Ushanga Hub is a key project under the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), aimed at converting traditional knowledge and creativity into stable income sources. It will not only provide shelter and display space but also attract cultural tourism and offer global exposure to Kenya’s beadwork and crafts.
CS Cheptumo reiterated the ministry’s pledge to support women in the creative industry, noting that economic empowerment and cultural preservation go hand-in-hand. “Our heritage is our strength. Empowering these women uplifts entire communities and ensures our traditions are passed on with pride and purpose,” she said.
With construction plans underway, the Ushanga Hub represents a b
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