STREET VENDING IN KENYA

by Dr Winnie Mitullah  and Anne Kamau Institute for Development Studies (IDS) - University of Nairobi

Street trading provides employment and income to a large number of vendors in Kenya, many of whom are women. Both central and local government have recognized this fact. Programs to support small and micro enterprises have been implemented.  A recent IDS study found, however, that street vending is the most regulated of all informal sector activities.

For a long time, urban authorities have viewed street vendors as illegal traders and as a  ‘nuisance’ which is bound to disappear. However, most local authorities have now recognized the need to integrate street vending into urban planning. The Machakos Municipal Council has reviewed its street-trading by-laws and the  Migori Council is in the process of doing so.

Conditions

Most authorities do not allocate vending sites. Many vendors operate on open ground, with no shelter or basic services. The authorities are reluctant to allocate sites within the Central Business District (CBD). They argue that the CBD is not planned to accommodate street trading and that it would cause congestion and insecurity. Street vendors are also seen as a threat to formal business, who pay license fees and other charges to the local authorities.

These perceptions are also changing.  The Machakos Council has set aside vending sites and the Nairobi City Council has identified possible sites.  Street vendors prefer operating in the CBD, where they have easy access to customers.  They have their own methods of identifying and allocating sites.

This exposes them, however, to harassment by the authorities. They are arrested by enforcement officers. Their goods are confiscated and their structures are demolished without notice. They are also evicted to allow planned development to take place.

Communication

The vendors are not aware of all the policies and regulations that apply to their businesses. This is partly because there is so little communication between them and the authorities. There is no appropriate forum where they can be informed about the by-laws. Lack of information makes compliance virtually impossible.

Organization

The street vendor organizations which do exist are weak. Many are business-cum-welfare groupings. The IDS study found only five bodies which are pure street vendors organizations: the Kenya Street Traders’ Society (KSTS) and the Kenya National Hawkers’ Union (KENAHU) - which operate nationwide - and the General Street Traders (Kisumu), the Kisumu Hawkers’ Association and the Migori Small Traders Society, which are local organizations. These associations focus on advocacy and occasionally negotiate with the urban authorities. They have not yet achieved much. Some of the business-cum-welfare groupings also address street trading issues, particularly when traders are faced with severe harassment or threatened with eviction.

For street vending to thrive in Kenya, urban policy change is needed which integrates street vending in planning and decision-making. Existing street vendor associations must be given recognition and support so that they can voice the needs of their members.