Edith Okoki, Acting Director General ,National Employment Authority (NEA).
Rising unemployment is giving the Government sleepless nights. As a
result, the State has been coming up with several initiatives to fight
the same. The Financial Standard spoke to National Employment Authority (NEA) on what it is doing to bridge the gap.
In what seems like a change of tack, many despairing Kenyans will now
be dealing with the NEA. What became of the National Employment Bureau
(NEB)?
What used to be NEB is what transited to the Authority with an added
mandate, where among them is to improve the linkage between training
institutions and industry, as well as pursuing with a view to
entrenching gender equity in the workplace. Also, we are mandated to
develop and implement frameworks for the elimination of child labour,
develop and implement wage policies, among others.
With increased unemployment, many concerned bodies now believe that
interns should be paid. Does NEA have anything definite for them?
NEA’s purpose is to seek employment opportunities for all. So we definitely have interns in mind as our ship sets sail.
What are some of the key points of your draft internship policy?
Top on the list, we expect employers to be able to pay interns, well. We
also do not want perpetual interns. Meaning that we want employers to
be able to take an intern for an intern, and employ them in case of a
vacancy.
Does it now mean that NEA has done away with volunteerism?
Not at all. Trainees can volunteer if they so wished, but those who cannot work for free should be remunerated accordingly.
Keeping in mind that one of your main mandates is to advise on the
formulation of employment policies or strategies, was it wise for the
Government to extend the retirement age to 60 years?
Facts on the ground show that the move was well thought out since civil
servants can retire when they attain the age of 50 years, 55 or even 60.
Moreover, persons with disabilities can work to age 65 if they so
wished. Also, the policy is good since succession management in
Government has effectively been addressed. If someone leaves even due to
natural attrition, the policy effectively looks into that as well.
How is the authority prepared to tackle the exodus of the country’s best brains?
The world is now a global village. We cannot stop people from moving,
and the best that the Government can do is to give them a safe passage.
In fact, restricting labour migration will not help the country in the
long run. So, we have decided to leave the door open while at the same
time ensuring that those working abroad are safe in all respects. To
achieve that, we negotiate for better terms and working conditions for
all Kenyans working abroad.
Going by the recent happenings, domestic and other low-skilled workers
seem to be at the mercy of rogue recruitment agencies, what is NEA doing
about it?
We have now taken up their plight quite seriously, where we ensure only
thoroughly vetted agencies can deal with any migrating job seeker. If
need be, we bring them up to speed with what is in store for them out
there so they can make an informed decision as to whether to leave or
stay home. To achieve this, we have a curriculum to that effect. And
once out there, we still follow up on them so they are not taken
advantage of in any way. So that we have even signed bilateral
agreements with countries where foreign domestic worker exploitation has
been the order of the day.
As the sole authoritative platform for employer-employee engagement, what is your message to Kenyans?
We want a system that is vibrant and can productively interact. Once
that happens, there will be no need for forced regulation or compliance
but rather willing adherence from all parties.
Do you have enough resources or need more funding?
Definitely. We are on a budget of about Sh200 million annually and we
think this is not in any way sufficient, even if we were to bring in our
own money generating activities.
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