Organisational aspects of social security in Kenya

Abstract

The study has drawn from the general concepts of social security to illuminate the development and factors involved in organising social security in a country like Kenya. The introduction Chapter opens with a discussion of broad matters of principle including definition of social security highlighting the indigenous institutions and referring specifically to the origins of modern social security and to the ideas of social security as they are seen through the quest for solidarity, and the functions of social security in social and econom i,c development. Early ideas on social security in Kenya stemmed from colonial labour policy. A survey of labour policy and wage structure lays the basis for examining the scope and the financial sources of a social security system. The problem of wage income is crucial to the development of a social security scheme. Employment policy and the fluctuations and structure of wages percolate into social structure. The second Chapter, while reviewing some literature on these problems, discusses the impact of labour in development of social security by tracing to some extent,the history of labour policy and the theories of minimum wage including labour protection and the introduction of social security measures. The third Chapter traces the structure of social security organization in Kenya and discusses this structure .in the light of stated policy and exposes areas of the organization for further analytical discussion. The fourth Chapter discusses generally the organization of data which form the basis of this study and comments critically

on documentary or statistical evidence collected to aid investigation into the hypothesis and explains the methods adopted in the organization of statistical sources and field surveys; and introduces the data which are critically analysed in the following Chapter. The fifth Chapter introduces in a general discussion the data collected with the purpose of testing the hypothesis 'that the present system of social security in Kenya leaves out the people who are in real need of social security protection and, above this, that it favours people in wage employment who predominantly live in urban areas; and tends to give more security to the higher income groups'. The Chapter analyses other statistical data to enquire whether there is a case for the development of modern social security and the areas of social problems which require bold policy approach. The sixth Chapter critically reinterprets the analysed data to highlight such problems as employment policy and wage structure, mobility of labour, demographic and social structure, and other factors which need to be taken into account in the discussion of social security such as pressure groups, cultural diffusion, technical development and international co-operation. The seventh Chapter is a philosophical excursion embracing the concept of Harambee. It discusses the place of social security under Harambee philosophy and speculates on relevant measures which require to be given attention in order to accommodate a system of social security which is relevant to Kenyan society. The eighth and last Chapter reviews some areas of policy and comments by way of introducjng problems on definite lines which should be taken,wbile suggesting to a certain extent initial approaches to the desired changes.