Casual workers in urban areas hardest hit by the economic impact of COVID-19

By Sara Okuoro

Households which depend on casual work, generally concentrated in urban areas especially big cities, are the hardest hit by crises of food and income caused by the Coronavirus, according to a research by Twaweza.

 

One out of three of these households (34 per cent) have seen the main breadwinner lose their source of income, compared to one out of four Kenyan households overall (26 per cent). And more than half of these households have not found new sources of income.

This has negatively impacted food security with 8 out of 10 households (80 per cent) that rely on casual work reporting to hold food stocks of a week or less at home, compared to 6 out of 10 of the population overall (64 per cent).

In the past three months, 4 out of 10 casual workers (43 per cent) did not eat for a whole day due to lack of money or other resources, compared to 3 out of 10 of citizens in general (32 per cent).

“As we learn to live with the Coronavirus, we all need to focus on the recovery and reconstruction of our economy. Citizens’ voices reveal Kenyans’ unequal suffering. Many are vulnerable and hungry. But one group are particularly hard hit: urban casual workers especially concentrated in Nairobi. Their sources of income are most insecure and they are least well placed to adapt their work to the new context. However, those with formal jobs who are more likely to work remotely, and those who can still farm, are slightly better off,” said James Ciera, Country Lead for Twaweza in Kenya.