'No toilet, clean water': Mothers of the Quarry: Women Breaking Stones to Feed their families

At sunrise, the sound of hammers echoes across the dusty plains. Dozens of women, some with babies strapped to their backs, crouch under the blazing sun, breaking stones into gravel.

They are the silent engines behind the construction boom — yet their stories are rarely heard.

These women work in informal quarries, often earning as little as Ksh 100 a day.

There are no safety gloves, no boots, no helmets — just grit, resilience, and hope for survival.

“I’ve been doing this for ten years,” says Mama Mercy, a single mother of four.

“I started when my husband died. It’s the only way I could feed my children and send them to school.”

While Kenya's construction industry continues to thrive, the women crushing stones manually are often invisible in the profit chain. Contractors buy the gravel cheap, sell it high, and move on.

Meanwhile, the women are left coughing up dust and nursing blistered hands.

“These are not jobs — they’re sacrifices,” says Rose, who started working at the quarry after fleeing domestic violence in Machakos.

The work is back-breaking and dangerous. There are no toilets, no clean water, and no medical support. Many women suffer from chronic chest infections, back problems, and injuries from falling rocks.

In some counties like Kisii and Embu, women in the quarry industry have started forming self-help groups. They pool savings to buy better tools, access loans, or even buy bulk protective gear. A few have gone further — selling directly to lorry drivers to cut out exploitative middlemen.

“We don’t want pity,” says Mama Mercy. “We want recognition, and we want respect.”

While their labor builds roads, malls, and homes, their names are not written in concrete or contracts. These women remain invisible in policy and ignored.

Yet, in their hands, they carry not just stones — but the weight of their families and the strength of their communities.