Book Chapter
| 1991
Between shamba and factory. Industrial labour migration in Kenya
in Peter Coughlin & Gerrishon K. Ikiara (eds.): Kenya's industrialization dilemma. Nairobi: Heinemann pp. 291-308
Oscillatory labour migration is shown to predominate in the labour market in Kenya. Workers move periodically between the towns and the rural areas where their families live and cultivate small farms. This structure means that part of the reproduction cost of the labourer and his family is borne by non-capitalist agriculture which thus heavily subsidises industrial wages. This chapter develops a methodology and, upon measuring, finds that the subsidy by agriculture for industry nearly eaquals the present cash wages and fringe benefits earned by industrial workers.
