Forced social distancing and confinement as a result of the coronavirus may result in hunger for the urban poor, World Bank has said. “A majority of the population has employment in the informal sector with irregular incomes, without savings, living hand to mouth,” he said. The World Bank estimates that 95 per cent of Kenya’s businesses and entrepreneurs operate within the informal sector meaning there are 17.2 million informal sector workers in the country. Wahba said, while these measures are key in flattening the curve, the government needs to implement a stimulus package especially to the informal sector workers. World Bank estimates globally, 100 million people will be the new poor who will be mostly in cities, which are heavily impacted by the coronavirus.

Source: The Star May 05, 2020 00:56 UTC