The government has announced the temporary suspension of all labour inspections across the country. Ministry of Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua announced the suspension on Wednesday, May 28, while speaking at the 66th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE).
According to CS Mutua, this step is meant to give the government time to reform the system and make it fairer, more transparent, and predictable.
“In the past, some inspections have been carried out unfairly and have been used to harass employers. That must stop. We want to give businesses a grace period to put their houses in order without fear of unnecessary interference. I understand that many employers face multiple inspections from both national and county governments,” said Mutua.
“This makes doing business more difficult and expensive. That’s why I plan to hold a retreat with employers to listen to your concerns and work together on lasting solutions.”
Mutua on minimum wage increase
CS Mutua has also pointed out that some employers have not implemented the 6% minimum wage increase announced by President William Ruto.
“This is disappointing. Workers must be treated fairly, and their welfare must come first. I also encourage employers to reinvest in the economy by creating more jobs. Hiring more Kenyans means putting more money into people’s pockets, which helps grow our economy through increased spending,” he said.
During this year’s national Labour Day celebrations, President Ruto directed the Ministry of Labour to work with the Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, to ensure that every employer implements the directive.
He also hinted at increasing the minimum wage further once the “next agreement is put in place.”
“When we agreed to enhance pay by 6% last year, there ensued a debate, and some of the employers have not implemented the 6% we agreed on. It is not right, it is not acceptable,” said Ruto.
Also Read: Win for Workers as Ruto Issues Fresh Orders Over 6% Salary Increase
ILO enhances labour inspection in Kenya
The International Labour Organization (ILO) in October 2023 supported the Kenyan labour inspectorate in developing context-tailored toolkits and further equipping the Labour and Occupational Safety and Health inspectorate with locally tailored training materials, used as a tool and a reference for the local context, strategies, priorities and needs of the tea and textile sectors.
The ILO All Hands in Kenya (AHK) project supported the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection through the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSH) and the Department of Labour (DOL) to develop a context-tailored labour inspection toolkit aimed at bolstering the capabilities of labour and OSH inspectorates.
The developed toolkit aimed at assisting the labour inspectorates in fulfilling their role by providing practical information, in a user-friendly format, on a suggested methodology for conducting inspections of the textile and tea sectors.
The method ranges from the planning of the inspection to the reporting of its findings and provides technical information that labour and OSH inspectors can pass on to employers and workers, to ensure “decent work”.
Labour inspection tool
The toolkit further details many of the operational activities that officers in the inspectorate address and the hazards to which workers may be exposed.
It also documents internationally recognised safety measures that, if followed, reduce the likelihood of workers suffering from occupational accidents and diseases.
Also Read: Employers Call Out Atwoli Over Minimum Wage Increase, Give Progress on Ruto’s Order
The tool’s development process involved reviewing the existing training materials provided by the ILO (ITC-ILO curriculum on Labour Inspection, ILO Guidelines, current relevant national legislations, existing inspection tools & documentation in the Ministry and best practices).
The Department of Labour and OSH Inspectorate’s current manuals (including relevant documents and international labour standards, information, practical examples, cases and figures, statistics from MOLSP Inspectorate and relevant agencies), accident investigation guide and risk assessment training were all considered.
Further, the AHK project supported the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in the training of over 70 officers in the labour inspectorate from across the 14 counties within the tea and textile sector.
The training was conducted in three cohorts in Mombasa, Nyeri and Kericho, executed by members from the technical working group within the DOL and OSH inspectorate.
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