Presentation short abstract

Informal food systems are vital to urban food security in sub-Saharan Africa as they provide affordable diets to the low-income urban residents. However, they are often marginalized, which disrupts food availability. This study examines the strategies the informal vendors use to endure.

Presentation long abstract

This research examines the irony of informality and regulation in shaping urban food landscapes in Sub-saharan Africa. Informal food retailers operate within a state of regulatory exception that is both visible and crucial to food access and availability, yet are exempt from formal recognition and often face punitive municipal actions. Despite these shocks, they remain essential to the diets of low-income urban residents who rely on accessible and low-cost meals. The study analyzes how existing policies and regulatory frameworks, particularly licensing regimes, street clearing operations, compulsory relocations to formal markets, and periodic evictions, influence the affordability and availability of food within urban informal economies. It also explores how informal vendors adapt, negotiate, and endure within restrictive governance environments. By addressing the limited empirical evidence on the interface between policy and food security in Kenya’s informal vending sector, the research highlights the critical role of everyday governance practices in shaping urban food security outcomes. Through analysis of policy documents and vendor experiences, the study reveals how regulatory exclusion creates spatial and economic barriers that ripple through low-income urban communities, which heavily rely on informal food systems. At the same time, vendors demonstrate notable endurance by reorganizing their operations, adjusting supply chains, leveraging social networks, and navigating authority structures to sustain their livelihoods. Findings aim to inform more inclusive, context-appropriate policy interventions.