Florence Bore, cabinet secretary of labor and social protection, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the strategy, developed with the support of the International Labor Organization (ILO), outlines specific steps to address major barriers faced by workers in the informal and rural economy while accessing social protection schemes.

“The strategy calls for the use of health insurance protection, retirement benefit schemes, maternity benefits and improved income protection for older persons, children and persons with disabilities,” Bore said.

The strategy also provides a roadmap for the government to extend social protection coverage to workers in informal and rural economies by improving the safety and health of workers, increasing workers’ compensation and providing opportunities for improved livelihoods, she said.

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Kenya has more than 19.1 million active workers, 80 percent of whom are in informal and rural areas and therefore lack social protection.

Bore revealed that work in the informal economy is often characterized by small or undefined workplaces, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, low levels of skills and productivity, low or irregular incomes, and long working hours, making it difficult to effectively provide social protection coverage to the workers.

She noted that these challenges expose informal sector workers in Kenya to a life cycle of risks, shocks and contingencies such as sickness, disability, maternity and unemployment.

“As a result, many of the informal sector workers are locked in a vicious circle of vulnerability, poverty and social exclusion,” she added.

Caroline Njuki, chief technical advisor for the ILO in Kenya, said that her organization provided financial and technical support for the development of the strategy.

Kenya has taken a proactive step by becoming one of the pioneer countries to develop a social protection extension strategy for workers in the informal and rural economy, Njuki said.

She said that the implementation of the strategy will advance a more robust, efficient and comprehensive social protection system that can effectively respond to increasing demands and the evolving social protection landscape.