Episode 105: Social Protection in Kenya

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According to Kenya's Social Protection Policy, poverty, disease, and ignorance were identified at the time of independence in 1963 as the critical challenges facing the new nation of Kenya. While some degree of success has been achieved in the area of education, progress in reducing poverty and providing healthcare has barely been made. 56 years after independence, “poverty and vulnerability remain major challenges, with almost one in every two Kenyans trapped in a long-term, chronic and inter-generational cycle of poverty."

Our Constitution in Article 43 guarantees all Kenyans their economic, social, and cultural rights. It asserts the "right for every person...to social security and binds the state to provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependents." This right is closely linked to other social protection rights, including the right to healthcare, human dignity, reasonable working conditions, and access to justice. Article 21 establishes the progressive realization of social and economic rights and obligates the state to "observe, respect, protect, promote, and fulfill the rights and fundamental freedoms in the Bill of Rights.”

We’re joined by Pauline Vata, Executive Director of Hakijamii Trust, to discuss social protection in Kenya.

Resources

Kenya National Social Protection Policy (2012)

Article 43, Constitution of Kenya (2010)

National Social Security Fund Act (2013)

National Hospital Insurance Fund Act (2013)

Social Assistance Act (2013)

Analytical Review of the Pension System in Kenya

Social security reforms in Kenya: Towards a workerist or a citizenship-based system?

Policy Brief on National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF)

NHIF Strategic Plan 2014 - 2018: Sustainable Financing Towards Universal Health Coverage in Kenya

HEALTHY AMBITIONS? KENYA’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL INSURANCE FUND (NHIF) MUST BECOME MORE TRANSPARENT IF IT IS TO ANCHOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE

Extending Social Security and Fighting Poverty: Two reform proposals to extend social security in Kenya

The Right to Social Security in Kenya: The gap between international human rights and domestic law and policy

PARTICIPATION OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN THEIR OWN PROGRAMMES: THE CASH TRANSFERS IN KENYA

Political Economy of Cash Transfers In Kenya

Kenya’s Social Cash Transfer Program

From Evidence to Action: The Story of Cash Transfers and Impact Evaluation in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Short-term Impact of Unconditional Cash Transfers to the Poor: Experimental Evidence from Kenya

The Long-Term Impact of Unconditional Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence from Kenya.

Income Changes and Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Unconditional Cash Transfers in Kenya

Scaling up Cash Transfer Programmes in Kenya

The Evolution of the Government of Kenya Cash Transfer Programme for Vulnerable Children between 2002 to 2006 and prospects for nationwide scale-up

Episode 44: The State of Kenya's Healthcare

Episode 21: #LipaKamaTender

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