Kenya National Alliance of Street Vendors and Informal Traders (KENASVIT)

The Kenya National Alliance of Street Vendors and Informal Traders (KENASVIT), is a national network of informal workers organized across seven regions in Kenya (Nairobi, Migori, Nakuru, Eldoret, Mombasa, Machakos, Kisumu) to improve the rights and working conditions of street vendors, and to affect policy in Kenya’s urban areas.

Street vendors and informal traders play a central role in the everyday lives of people around the world. These "informal economy" workers, who are not safeguarded by legal or social protections, have long existed as purveyors of affordable goods and services to a global public that spans class and income.

The work of KENASVIT is groundbreaking and vital because street vendors and informal traders are among the most marginalized and vulnerable of the world’s workers, yet they make significant contributions to their local and national economies.

Creating stable informal sector employment sustains the economic, political, and social health of communities around the world. Creating new models of informal worker organizing provides a unified voice for an otherwise unrepresented constituency. Women street vendors and their children face particular challenges, as the vending environment poses serious constraints to earning a sustainable living with dignity.

Through outreach, organizing, training, and leadership development, KENASVIT links seven "urban alliances" which build collaborative relationships with other civil actors such as trade unions, academic partners from the University of Nairobi’s Institute for Development Studies, the Kenya Land Alliance, StreetNet, and human rights organizations like UUSC.