CS Mutua acknowledges gaps in social protection for Informal Sector Workers » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 24 – Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Alfred Mutua, has acknowledged that the current social protection framework in Kenya does not adequately cater to the needs of workers in the informal sector.

Speaking this morning during the oofficial launch of a project aimed at extending social protection coverage to informal workers, Mutua highlighted the government’s intention to ensure equal rights for both formal and informal workers.

The event, held in Nairobi, marked the beginning of a collaborative project between Kenya’s Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China, in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The initiative, which is also being undertaken in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, seeks to leverage digital transformation to improve social protection for informal workers.

“The informal economy, which comprises a majority of Kenya’s workforce, continues to be vulnerable due to a lack of social protection. Our goal is to build a comprehensive framework that ensures workers in rural and informal economies have the same rights as those in the formal sector,” Dr. Mutua stated.

He also commended the decade-long partnership with China and ILO, which has contributed to significant milestones in social protection policy. “We are privileged to have proactive partnerships that have supported the formulation of the Social Protection Bill, the adoption of the Kenya Social Protection Policy, and the implementation of targeted programmes for populations not yet covered by government support,” he added.

In Kenya, only about 3.9 million workers are employed in the formal economy, while approximately 16 million are active in the informal economy. Informal enterprises number over 5 million, and about 6.4 million households are engaged in agriculture, with many not registered for government-provided social protection services. This has led to a cycle of vulnerability, poverty, and social exclusion among informal workers, which the new project seeks to address.

China’s Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, Mr. Li Zhong, who was also present at the launch, expressed his government’s readiness to strengthen cooperation with Kenya in addressing the social protection needs of its workforce. “We are willing to strengthen our mutual cooperation to jointly respond to the needs of our people,” he said.

Other dignitaries in attendance included David Koros, the Managing Trustee of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), ILO Country Office Director Caroline Mugalla, as well as representatives from the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) and the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE).

This project aims to provide a lifeline to the millions of workers currently locked out of formal protection, improving their access to essential services and helping bridge the gap between the formal and informal economies.

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