The informal sector consists of both professionals and non-professionals engaging in small-scale commercial activities such as selling second-hand items, shoe-shining, street vendors, carpentry, vegetable selling, repair and construction work. These activities are not formally established, regulated or protected by the government and often times, simple skills are used to generate income and profits (Institute of Economic Affairs, 2012). There is a higher labour force participation rate among men (77.5%) compared to women (71.5%) (International Labour Organization (ILO), 2016). The considerable part of the population that is unemployed or in the informal work is severely under-insured, which limits their access to health care significantly.

References:

Institute of Economic Affairs. (2012). Informal sector and taxation in Kenya. https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3.sourceafrica.net/documents/118220/The-informal-sector-and-taxation-in-Kenya-IEA.pdf

International Labour Organization (ILO). (2016). Country profile. https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=1000:11110:0::NO:11110:P11110_COUNTRY_ID:103315