Enacting a right-to-work law and Access to Trading Licenses and Provision of a Trading Location to Citizens

The Kenya Kwanza government promised to enact a right-to-work law, making trading licenses and provision of a trading location an entitlement to every citizen who applies. The Kenya Kwanza government aims to work with county governments to provide one-street trading. The plan must be financed within a budget deficit target of 3 per cent by financial year 2026/27. This will be achieved by (a) Ensuring that revenue projection will not exceed the average growth in preceding three years and expenditure growth capped at 75 per cent of the revenue growth rate.

While the right-to-work law has not yet been implemented, the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood) Bill was introduced for discussions and passing in 2023, which aimed to regulate and organize informal trading.
Additionally, the County Licensing (Uniform Procedures) Act was introduced to promote the effectiveness of license processing across counties.

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This Promise Tracker is an independent civic-accountability tool designed to monitor and document the progress of public commitments made by the Government of Kenya. Information presented on this platform is compiled from publicly available sources including government publications, parliamentary records, policy documents, and credible media reports. The classifications used in this tracker represent an evidence-based assessment by the platform’s researchers and should be understood as analytical judgments rather than official government determinations. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and regular updates, the status of promises may evolve as new information becomes available. This website is not affiliated with or operated by the Government of Kenya.

Last updated: March 4, 2026 8:08 am