Profits and Poverty Reduction through Informal Sector Self-Employment: Evidence from Kenya

Abstract

The Informal sector, especially one-person concerns, has received little support and promotion in kenya. The sector is often ignored and sometimes helped or harassed by the central and local governments. On the hand, the government recognizes the potential role the sector plays in employment creation (RoK, 1985, 1992, 2004, 2005a) yet on the other hand it regards it as inconsequential or an impediment to economic development through such actions as the occassional harassment of traders or hawkers by the central and local governments