Background

The project “Improving Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Access to Social Protection for Workers in the Agri-Business Sector in Kenya” financed by Eni is an innovative project which aims to achieve improvements in OSH and the extension of social protection coverage to farmers and workers at all stages of production in the castor bean value chain in Kenya. The value chain was established by Eni in 2021 in Kenya, where Eni is the only buyer of castor seeds. To date, roughly 80’000 farmers are engaged in the cultivation of castor seeds in the country and supply ENI’s Agri hubs.
As part of the project, an axis of work is dedicated to supporting the extension of social protection coverage to workers and farmers in the castor-bean value chain in Kenya. A Value Chain Assessment was conducted in 2024 to identify the opportunities and constraints to the extension of social protection and improvement to OSH capacities within the value chain. In relation to social protection coverage, the assessment identified low coverage among farmers and farm workers, as well as workers employed by certain aggregators. A range of barriers to effective coverage were identified, including limited contributory capacity and administrative barriers faced by small-scale farmers and farm workers, as well as the limited awareness among some aggregators and farmers of their responsibilities as employers. On the basis of that assessment, targeted interventions have been identified and will be implemented under the project to meet the project objectives, in close coordination with the value chain actors and national and county-level stakeholders.

Description of assignment and activities

The consultant is expected to support the ILO and value chain actors in the implementation of targeted activities aimed at extending the coverage of social protection – and in particular the NSSF Haba Haba initiative and SHA health insurance – to farmers, farm workers and workers employed by aggregators within the value chain. Based on the assignment, the following four activities will be implemented in particular:

• Facilitate the enrolment of farmers and workers within the value chain to NSSF and SHA.
• Conduct a study to generate an understanding of the average contribution rates and earnings in relevant administrative units as well as the capacity and propensity of small-scale farmers and workers to contribute to SHIF and NSSF
• Elaborate options for the scope and level of potential subsidies that is equitable, the modalities for contribution payments, and cost all options and discuss costed options and modalities and way forward with Eni S.p.A and aggregators.

Under the supervision of the ILO National Project Officer and Technical Specialist on Social Protection, the consultant will support the implementation of the above-mentioned activities by carrying out the below tasks:

• Activity 1: Facilitate the organisation of 6 fairs/awareness campaigns (2 per participating county) between social protection branches and farmers and farm workers in the value chain to promote awareness raising of on social protection and facilitate enrolment in contributory schemes among farmers, farm workers, and aggregators. The fairs will aim to facilitate engagement between NSSF and SHA and value chain actors to raise awareness about social protection procedures, rights and entitlements; and to provide direct support for enrolment, for the completion of the means test, etc… The fairs will be implemented in each county in which the project is implemented, namely: Makueni, Meru, and Nakuru counties. The fairs shall be held during periods when small-scale farmers and workers congregate – whether during post-harvest transport to aggregator, during trainings hosted by the field officers, etc… – to be identified by the consultant in close consultation with relevant stakeholders. In particular, the consultant will be expected to:

  o Lead the planning and organisation of the 6 fairs and awareness campaigns, in very close coordination with stakeholders.
  o Coordinate the engagement of NSSF and SHIF branches.
  o Coordinate with the aggregators and field officers to mobilize farmer and farm worker participation in the fairs.
  o Coordinate with aggregators and large and medium to participate in the fairs.
  o Coordinate the smooth implementation of the fairs on the day.
  o Ensure that relevant institutions engaged in OSH, agriculture, gender-based violence services, labour inspection and health participate in the fairs to raise awareness on available services and practices and deliver trainings.

• Activity 2: Support the implementation of a study to generate an understanding of the average contribution rates and earnings in relevant sub-counties as well as the capacity and propensity of small-scale farmers and workers to contribute to SHIF and NSSF. The study will be based on primary qualitative and quantitative data collection with farmers and farm workers in all three counties; data from the value chain on average earnings of farmers from castor per harvest; and data from SHA on average contribution rates in the wards in which the value chain operates. For this activity, the tasks will include:

  o Facilitate the engagement of value chain actors in the primary data collection activity by liaising between them and ensuring the effective sampling and participation of farmers and farm workers in the research activity.
  o Secure and collect from SHA aggregate data at the lowest administrative unit (for example at the ward level) on average contribution rates in all the administrative units in which the farmers within the value chain are located, based on data requirements shared by ILO, and submit data to the ILO;
  o Secure from value chain actors (e.g. aggregators, buyer) data on average earnings of farmers from castor per harvest, disaggregated across various characteristics based on data requirements shared by ILO, and submit data to the ILO.
  o Coordinate with the ILO social protection team in the design of the research methodology for primary research on capacity and willingness to pay of farmers and farm workers.
  o Collect primary data from farmers and farm workers for the purpose of the study on capacity and willingness to pay to the SHA from farmers in the three counties. This will ideally be conducted during the fairs to catalyse on the presence of farmers and farm workers.
  o Transcribe and analyse findings from the primary data collection.
  o Analyse findings from the primary data collection, the data collected from SHA and that from the value chain actors and draft a consolidated analytical report on research findings of the capacity and willingness of farmers to afford and pay contributions to SHA.

• Activity 3: Provide inputs to the ILO report on costed options for the implementation of subsidies and group enrolment modalities within the value chain based on knowledge generated through previous engagements with value chain and social protection actors.

Deliverables

The deliverables of the assignment under this contract will include:

1. Deliverable 1: Submission of two reports on the implementation of the 6 fairs (one report per round of fairs in each county) under the first activity.
2. Deliverable 2: Submission of collected data from SHA, value chain actors and farmers and farm workers to ILO collected under the third activity.
3. Deliverable 3: Submission of consolidated analytical research findings report to the ILO conducted under the third activity.
4. Deliverable 4: Submission of comments on the draft report elaborated by the ILO under the fourth activity.

Contract duration

The number of days of this assignment is 45 working days between June 2025 – November 2025. The below table provides a breakdown of indicative number of workdays required per activity/task.

Activity 1 – Fair coordination – 3 workdays | 3 counties = Total 9

Activity 2 – Data collection from SHA – 0.5 workdays | 1 county = Total 0.5

Data collection from ENI – 0.5 workdays | 1 county = Total 0.5

Design of the primary data collection method and tools – 3 workdays | 1 county = Total 3

Primary data collection – 5 workdays | 3 counties = Total 15

Transcription of findings – 5 workdays | 1 county = Total 5

Report writing – 10 workdays | 1 county = Total 10

Activity 3 – Inputs to final report – 2 workdays | 1 county = Total 2

Total 45

Modalities for payment of fees

On completion of the work to the satisfaction of the ILO, the ILO will pay to the selected external collaborator the amount of the contract value, which will be the sole remuneration and includes provision for any incidental expenses. The external collaborator shall not, in any circumstances, be entitled to any payments other than those expressly provided. Payment will be made upon successful and timely completion of the deliverables, to the satisfaction of the ILO and based on submission of the required documentation.

Required experience and competencies

• Must hold advanced university degree in social sciences, public administration, or other related field.
• At least 5 years’ experience conducting qualitative research on opportunities and barriers to extending social protection coverage, including through primary data collection and analysis. Experience of such research in the agricultural sector would be an advantage.
• Demonstrated experience of engagement with contributory social security institutions in Kenya -namely the NSSF and the SHA – at central and county levels.
• Knowledge and understanding of social protection concepts, challenges and capacity-building priorities would be considered an advantage.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the working conditions and organisation of workers and farmers in the agricultural sector.
• Strong ability to effectively plan, manage, implement, and report on activities of a similar nature to those outlined above.
• Demonstrated capacity to identify risks, sensitivities, and implementation challenges in the design and implementation of such an assignment and propose effective solutions for addressing or minimizing these.
• Strong ability to take initiative and work independently on assigned tasks.
• Previous work experience with the UN System in general and with ILO in particular will be an added advantage.

How to Apply:

Interested Individual Consultant should submit, in English, their Technical Proposal that outlines explicitly and specifically how they meet the above requirements and an all-inclusive Financial Proposal. The CV should be submitted to nboprocurement@ilo.org by 11th of June 2025 with “Consultancy to support extension of social protection to agri-business sector” in the email subject.