I primarily program in Python and have always tried to steer clear of Java (no particular reason, really). Now I find myself in a position where I have to build an app for Android. 
My question is, is there any inherent difference in terms of speed, resource-consumption, access to hardware features etc if I build the app in Python, using SL4A or Kivy or some other platform(I still need to explore those options in detail)? Or should I Download the SDK Bundle and go about learning to build apps for Android exclusively?
From what I can tell, neither of the projects you mention is meant for building native Android apps. If you were really knowledgeable in Jython and Android, maybe you could finagle Jython to make native apps, but since you mention that you've never used Java, that's unlikely. Unfortunately, the only project that attempted to do it is dead (and turned into SL4A, maybe?).
So TL;DR, if you want completely native, I-can't-believe-it's-not-Java experience, you have no choice. If not, you should specify what exactly you wan't to accomplish, maybe Python is good enough.
Building apps for Android using Python