This archive report was first published on 21 April 2020.
Kenya reported its first case of the coronavirus on March 13, 2020, and since then, the country has been grappling with the economic and social impacts of the pandemic.
A recent study conducted by Professor Amos Njuguna of United States International University – Africa's surveyed informal sector workers and found that lack of food is the leading source of worry, affecting 36% of respondents, followed by getting sick at 19% and exhausting their savings at 15%.
The study, which had 447 respondents, found that incomes of informal sector workers have reduced by 51.2% in the past month, affecting those in peri-urban counties and those over 53 years.
Furthermore, 83% of respondents had not received any form of support, while those who had received support were mostly employed, indicating a self-seeking behavior.
According to Professor Njuguna, women are more worried about getting sick and children not going to school compared to their male counterparts.
The study also found that 22% of informal sector workers have already borrowed money, while 13% have lost their jobs.
Informal sector workers, who make up 15 million Kenyans, created nine out of ten new jobs and absorbed over 60% of women, are characterized by micro-businesses that are highly unregulated, casual unemployment, and incongruent public policies.
Professor Njuguna recommends a raft of measures, including production as opposed to consumption-led policies to address the crisis and addressing fundamental issues in the political economy of the informal sector.
