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Kenya

World bank, 2015
Poverty headcount ratio at $3.65 a day (2017 PPP) (% of population)
60%
Population below international poverty line

Varies per area, age and skill level.

variable
National minimum wage

Equivalent to 13,943 Keynyan shilling per worker per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2016

108
per month
Rural living wage

Equivalent to 32,488 Keynyan shilling per worker per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2022

253
per month
Urban living wage
World bank, 2019
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
54%
Agricultural workforce
World bank, 2021
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP)
22%
Agriculture share of GDP

ITUC Global Rights Index, 2022
Systematic violations of rights

4
high
Risk to workers' rights

Context

Kenya has a population of roughly 53.7 million people,[1] with 72% living in rural and 28% living in urban areas.[2] Approximately 54% of the workforce is employed in the agricultural sector.[3] This sector together with forestry and fisheries represent roughly 34% of Kenya’s GDP.[4] 

Agriculture plays a vital role in both Kenya’s rural and national economy. It provides the livelihood for a large part of the Kenyan population.[5] For the rural population, the agriculture sector directly accounts for 70% of all jobs.[6]

The top produced crops in Kenya are sugar cane, fresh cow milk, maize, potatoes and bananas.[7] Kenya’s top exported products in terms of quantity are tea, wheat bran, palm oil, avocados and sorghum.[8]

Footnotes
  1. ^ World Bank. (2020). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=KE
  2. ^ World Bank. (2020). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS?locations=KE 
  3. ^ World Bank. (2019). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=KE
  4. ^ World Bank. (2020.) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?locations=KE
  5. ^ FAO. (2014). Country Programming Framework for Kenya Food and Agriculture Organization 2014-2017. http://www.fao.org/3/a-bp634e.pdf
  6. ^ Stephen D’Alessandro, Jorge Caballero, Simon Simpkin, and John Lichte. (2015). Kenya Agricultural Risk Assessment. Agriculture global practice technical assistance paper. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/380271467998177940/pdf/100299-BRI-P148139-PUBLIC-Box393227B-Kenya-Policy-Note-web.pdf
  7. ^ FAOSTAT (2019). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country
  8. ^ FAOSTAT (2019). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country_exports
Copyright Hivos

Wages

Minimum wage

The minimum wage rate in Kenya is set by the government by area, age and skill level. For agricultural workers the minimum wage varies from 7,545 Kenyan shilling (58 EUR) for an unskilled worker to 13,610 Kenyan shilling (104 EUR) for a farm clerk or foreman.[1] 

Living wage

Living wages are based on the costs of a decent standard of living for a family in a specific area or region, hence living wages vary from one area to another. To date, the Global Living Wage Coalition has carried out two living wage studies in Kenya. The estimated living wage in Lake Naivasha (non-metropolitan urban Kenya) is 32,488 Kenyan shilling (253 EUR) per month[2] while the estimated living wage in Mount Kenya (rural Kenya) is 13,943 Kenyan shilling (108 EUR) per month.[3] Despite the large differences between living wage estimates, the highest minimum wage in the agricultural sector is still below both estimates. Agricultural workers are the most commonly underpaid workers in Kenya.[4]

Footnotes
  1. ^ WageIndicator Foundation. (2023). https://mywage.org/kenya/salary/minimum-wage/2230-agricultural-industry
  2. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition. (2022). https://www.globallivingwage.org/living-wage-benchmarks/non-metropolitan-urban-kenya/
  3. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition. (2016).https://www.globallivingwage.org/living-wage-benchmarks/rural-kenya/
  4. ^ CSR Risk Check. (2019) https://www.mvorisicochecker.nl/en/world-map

Working conditions

In 2015, over 80% of jobs in Kenya were in the informal sector.[1]The main employers in the informal economy areagriculture (mainly tea and coffee production), forestryand fishing.Workers in the informal sector lack most government social protections. As the agricultural sector becomes more competitive, permanent contracts are being replaced with temporary contracts or informal labour, which leads to increased labour insecurity.[2]

Footnotes
  1. ^ The Danish institute for Human Rights & The Kenya Human Rights Commission. (2016). Human Rights and Business Country Guide Kenya. https://globalnaps.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/kenya.pdf
  2. ^ The Danish institute for Human Rights & The Kenya Human Rights Commission. (2016). Human Rights and Business Country Guide Kenya. https://globalnaps.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/kenya.pdf
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