The government under President William Ruto is set to require that all Kenyans working abroad start remitting mandatory welfare levy.
This mandatory requirement is part of proposals being fronted by the Ministry of Labour in what has been termed as a move to safeguard Kenyan migrant workers while they work abroad.
According to data from the Ministry of Labour, Kenya currently has about four million people working in North America, Europe, Australia, amd the Middle East.
The new welfare scheme will be known as the Kenya Migrant Workers Welfare Fund. It will allegedly be formulated to provide relief assistance to migrant workers, invalidity benefits, medical assistance, and survivor benefits when a migrant worker dies.
Every Kenyan migrant worker will be required to register as a member of the fund before they leave the country to work abroad.
At the same time, contingency fees paid by private employment agencies will also be channelled to the fund. The Ministry of Labour, though, is yet to determine individual contribution bands that each Kenyan working abroad will make.
“This is a contributory fund in which the government shall also put in some funds. This is an innovative fund to address the plight of migrant workers. The deduction will be of benefit to the migrant workers and they would be able to access it in their hour of need,” Labour Principal Secretary Geoffrey Kaituko told the media.
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“The desire is to strengthen the governance of labour migration as current laws do not adequately address migrant worker concerns.”
The board shall be managed a board and chairman that will be appointed by the president.
