A key pillar of Lumajira’s drive to empower Jua Kali workers in Nairobi is the active involvement of stakeholders in lobbying for a conducive operating environment—one that strengthens, rather than impedes, informal workers. Central to this mission is identifying the everyday challenges faced by workers in Kenya’s informal sector, from personal and social struggles to financial and systemic barriers, and working towards pragmatic, long-term solutions through Lumajira’s work to empower informal workers.
There are few better places to confront these realities than Nairobi, Kenya’s economic hub and home to one of the country’s largest informal economies. While recent county-specific statistics on the informal sector remain limited, the worldwide UN-Habitat report on innovative policies for informal economies (2006) found that roughly half of employed adults in Nairobi worked in the informal sector. With the city’s current adult population estimated at approximately 3.5 million, the size and importance of Nairobi’s informal workforce are only set to grow.
Yet, many of the same long-standing challenges continue to plague the city’s Jua Kali workers—alongside unique urban pressures of their own.
The Reality of Nairobi’s Informal Sector
For thousands of informal workers in Nairobi, daily work is defined by uncertainty. Access to affordable trading spaces, secure income, and legal recognition remains limited, leaving many workers exposed to financial shocks and harassment. Despite forming the backbone of the city’s economy, informal workers often operate at the margins of policy and planning.
This disconnect between economic contribution and policy recognition is most visible on the streets of Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD).
Hawking in Nairobi CBD: A Daily Struggle
Take the city’s hawkers, for example. In the crowded streets of Nairobi’s CBD, a daily game of cat and mouse unfolds. Hawkers sell everything from sweets and bottled water to second-hand clothes, all while remaining on constant alert. Eyes dart left and right, ever watchful for county enforcement officers—locally known as askaris.
At the first sign of enforcement officers, hawkers hastily gather their goods and scatter in search of safety. It is a startling scene, whether witnessed for the first time or as a regular occurrence. Few would dispute that these traders are simply trying to earn an honest living, yet hawking remains a beleaguered and vulnerable occupation, shaped by harassment, insecurity, and unpredictability.
It is these hardworking and often voiceless businesspeople that Lumajira exists to represent and advocate for.
Youth Unemployment and the Turn to Informal Work
Kenya’s unemployment rate stood at approximately 5.4% in 2024, but this figure masks a deeper crisis among the youth, where unemployment remains significantly higher—estimated at around 12%. Faced with a formal job market that offers limited opportunities, many young people turn to informal work as a means of survival.
Construction, boda boda riding, and hawking are among the most accessible entry points into Nairobi’s informal economy. Migration to the city remains high, contributing to an estimated 4% annual population growth, largely driven by young people seeking employment after high school or university.
Finding formal and even informal positions scarce, many youths display remarkable entrepreneurial spirit by setting up small informal businesses or joining informal work setups. However, they are quickly met with harsh realities: rising living costs, unstable income, and pressure from families back home who depend on remittances.
Systemic Challenges Facing Jua Kali Workers in Nairobi
Even within these honest hustles, challenges abound. Lumajira has identified several systemic barriers that continue to undermine informal workers, including:
· Frequent run-ins with county enforcement officers
· Lack of legal recognition and affordable licensing frameworks
· Confiscation of goods and arbitrary fines
· Limited access to credit, insurance, and business training
Owing to slim profit margins, most hawkers and vendors struggle to acquire licences, leaving them vulnerable to harassment, arrests and loss of livelihoods. Historically, city policies have treated hawkers as a nuisance rather than as an integral part of Nairobi’s economy.
Why Representation Matters for Jua Kali Workers
For informal workers in Nairobi, city policies often function as obstacles rather than facilitators. Decisions that shape their daily realities—where they can trade, how they are licensed, and how enforcement is carried out—are frequently made without their input.
Without organised representation, the experiences of Jua Kali workers are reduced to isolated incidents rather than recognised as systemic issues. Harassment, confiscation of goods, and arbitrary fines are treated as individual misfortunes instead of symptoms of policy failure.
This is where Lumajira’s work becomes critical. By engaging directly with informal workers and amplifying their voices in stakeholder forums, Lumajira bridges the gap between lived experience and policy. Representation transforms informal workers from passive subjects of regulation into active participants in shaping their working environments.
Imagining a Conducive Environment for Nairobi’s Jua Kali Sector
Lumajira’s vision for a conducive environment for Jua Kali workers in Nairobi does not imply the absence of regulation. Rather, it calls for fair, reliable, and humane systems that recognise informal work as a legitimate and essential part of the urban economy.
In practical terms, this includes:
· Designated, well-serviced trading spaces
· Affordable and accessible licensing systems
· Clear and consistent enforcement guidelines
· Access to credit and basic business skills training
When rules are transparent and consistently applied, informal workers are better able to plan, invest, and grow their businesses beyond mere survival.
Equally important is sustained dialogue. A city that works for everyone is one where informal workers are not consulted only in moments of crisis, but are continuously engaged as stakeholders in urban development. Through collaboration with county governments and partners, Lumajira advocates for solutions that are grounded in reality and responsive to the needs on the grounded in reality and responsiveness to the needs on the ground.
Looking Ahead: Integrating Informal Workers into Nairobi’s Future
Ultimately, supporting Nairobi’s Jua Kali sector is about recognizing potential. With the right policy environment, informal enterprises can become stable sources of income, innovation, and employment. Lumajira’s vision is one in which informal workers are integrated into Nairobi’s economic and social fabric, contributing openly and securely to the city’s growth and Kenya[’s future.