Country: Kenya (Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa)
Sector: Urban Livelihoods, Labour Markets
Background:
To better understand employment dynamics in urban informal settlements, our client required real-time data on income sources, work conditions, and vulnerability levels among informal workers. Previous estimates were outdated and failed to capture shifts due to urban migration, youth unemployment, and post-COVID disruptions.
Approach:
We deployed a multi-city data collection effort across three major slums in Kenya.
Using a hybrid sampling model combining GPS-based enumeration and snowball referrals, our team surveyed over 3,200 informal workers, including domestic workers, boda-boda riders, vendors, and waste recyclers.
Enumerators were recruited locally and trained to navigate ethical concerns, safety, and respondent fatigue. In addition to CAPI-administered surveys, we used digital diaries with 100 participants to track daily income and expenditure fluctuations over 30 days.
