In July 2024 the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-Kenya) Dullah Omar Institute, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Africa (CHRI Africa) co-hosted a two-day consultative workshop: Sub-national governance and the plight of women working in public spaces: A study of Kenya.
Women working in public spaces were invited to share their experiences. Five discussion points were considered, namely; (1) general observations of their working conditions, including working hours, (2) knowledge of the law and policy- making processes, (3) engagements between public space workers and sub-national authorities especially the City Inspectorate known as Kanjos (4) law enforcement and sanctions, and (5) recommendations for reform.
This factsheet focuses on the plight of particular groups of women working in public spaces in Kenya, namely; women traders, women hawkers, and vendors. All the factsheets are supplemented by the reflections stemming from the two-day workshop attended by women working in the public space.