We’ll initiate employees’ compensation kitty, says PS
The government will establish Workers Compensation Fund Authority to provide for compensation to employees for work related injuries Labour Principal Secretary Geoffrey Kaituko said several labour laws, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) 2007, will be reviewed to streamline workers compensated.
OSHA is currently a department under the ministry of Labour and Social Protection but the PS says the move will make the agency an independent authority. In the proposal, employers will remit a certain percentage to the OSHA on a monthly basis.
If the changes in law take place, employers will only be required to file a report to the authority when an injury or death is reported at the work place that shall then pay the compensation.
“Currently the process of compensating workers is unnecessarily tedious and involves even going to court. This will be changed soon,” PS said.
He also revealed that they have written to the Attorney General’s office and Kenya Law Reform Commission to draft proposed amendments to be forwarded to Parliament for consideration. Other than OSHA law, four other pieces of legislation including the Employment Relations Act will be reviewed to be aligned with the Constitution.
Much bigger Kaituko spoke on Sunday after returning from Tanzania where he was on a four-day benchmarking.
During the trip, the PS, who was accompanied by the head of the Directorate of OSHA Dr Musa Nyandusi, met his counterpart Prof Jamal Katundu. During the meeting, the two signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to address the welfare of thousands of Kenyan workers in Tanzania.
“There are over, 240,000 Kenyan workers in Tanzania; far much bigger than those in Saudi Arabia yet we have never had an MoU. However now that has been addressed,” he said.
