Kenya's forgotten informal economy
02 September 2011
War on Want’s Kenyan partner, the Kenya National Alliance for Street Vendors and Informal Traders, KENASVIT, who represent over 400,000 informal sector traders, has been actively demanding that the government delivers on its broken promises to protect the rights Kenyans forced to work in the informal economy through a legal framework and developmental fund. KENASVIT members took to the streets twice last month to deliver memorandums demanding the needs of informal sector traders throughout the country be addressed and is planning on staging marches in six more cities in September.
On 16 August KENAVIT marched in Nairobi to deliver a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office. The memorandum on the status of the Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) Bill and the mystery surrounding the Ksh 4.8 Billion (£31.7 million) MSE Fund sought to expedite the passing of the Bill in Parliament. The Bill outlines a legal framework intended to boost the informal sector and gives provisions for a fund aimed at supporting the sector. KENASVIT have expressed concern over the misappropriation of the MSE Fund in the absence of this legal framework and have questioned why the passing of the Bill has been stalled for several years. The memorandum also asked why no informal traders have yet benefitted from the Fund.
KENASVIT took to the streets once again on 23 August 2011 in support ofinformal traders in Machakos to deliver a memorandum to the town clerk and the Constituency Development Fund Officers. This memorandum on the status of trading sites and working conditions of street vendors in Machakos Municipality demanded that the double levy of Ksh 9000 (£60) imposed on traders in Machakos be dropped. The memorandum also demands that stalls be allocated to street vendors at the fresh produce market in Machakos in line with the economic stimulus programme and that projects directed at street vendors, hawkers andinformal traders be prioritised in this fiscal year. Machako’s mayor Joseph Wambua has promised that these concerns will be raised and addressed by the council.
War on Want will continue to support KENASVIT in its campaign pushing for the passing and implementation of the MSE Bill to improve the lives and livelihoods of informal sector traders in Kenya. 
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