| dc.description.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. | en |
