Regulation of digital platforms for a socially-just gig economy in Kenya

Digital platforms are fundamentally changing the world of work, giving way to a new economic model referred to as the ‘gig economy’. Kenya is at the forefront of this gig economy, with a wide range of digital platforms operating and offering workers immense opportunities for flexible, cost-effective and convenient work. On the flipside the precarious livelihoods of workers often remain unaddressed. This study sheds light on challenges gig workers face in Kenya such as platform’s market power concentration, a lack of codified worker’s rights or women facing disadvantages on the job market due to gender-based factors. Furthermore, it gives concrete recommendations that policy makers can draw on to refine a digital platform regulation approach for a more socially-just gig economy in Kenya and other sub-Saharan countries

Towards a socially just gig economy in Kenya: Stakeholder engagement and regulatory processes

Digital platforms are fundamentally changing the world of work. At the click of a button, we can order food or services online to our doorstep in the so-called gig economy. While the platform economy opens immense opportunities for flexible, gainful and convenient entrepreneurship, the precarious livelihoods of workers and service providers often remain unaddressed. In particular, workers from economically developing countries are often subject to repetitive gig work, low levels of job security and high exploitation risks. Kutoma J. Wakunuma and Tom Kwanya have studied the livelihood of Kenyan gig workers, which allows us to better understand the perks and perils of the gig economy in the Global South

A Competency Index for Research Librarians in Kenya

Discussion on competencies for librarians is not new. Several librarianship scholars and practitioners have proposed diverse skill-sets over the years. While some of these suggestions correspond, others contradict. Further, whereas specific skill-sets have been proposed for various types of libraries, only general job descriptions exist for research librarians. So far, there seems to be no in-depth competency specifications for any category of librarians in Kenya. Through documentary analysis, interviews, social network analysis and focus group discussions, this study investigated the essential skills, attitudes and personality traits that research librarians in Kenya should possess. The findings indicate that interpersonal, management, information communication technology, and research skills are increasingly becoming as important for research librarians as the traditional core librarianship competencies. The paper concludes that the development of such skills through training and retraining programmes should be prioritised