A Senate bill to regulate the sector will jail or fine recruiters who send Kenyans abroad without a contract.
The Labour Migration Management Bill 2023 requires employers to sign a foreign contract with migrant workers before sending them abroad. Whoever violates the guideline faces a Ksh2 million fine, two years in prison, or both.
Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore urged Parliament to pass the bill.
She said her ministry was fast-tracking its composition, but the Office of the Attorney-General had already completed the legal side, allowing Parliament to consider it.
“A National Labor Migration Policy emphasizes safe and productive migration. The Labor Migration Management Bill will hold recruitment agencies accountable, she said.
The Overseas Job seeking Bill
Under the new bill, overseas job seekers must register with the National Employment Authority.
The bill promotes overseas employment and foreigners working in Kenya while protecting job seekers’ rights.
The Authority will register all private recruitment agencies or fine them Ksh10 million, with directors facing ten years in prison or both.
The bill states, “The government shall deploy migrant workers to countries where migrant worker rights exist.”
The bill requires the government to hire labor (public officers) worldwide to find jobs for Kenyans, authenticate job orders, counsel migrant workers, and handle complaints about them in their host country.
Also checkout other jobs.
Labour CS must create a channel for migrant workers to invest in Kenya, provide legal assistance, and create a database with their information.
“The Cabinet Secretary responsible for matters relating to Foreign Affairs shall in consultation with the relevant Kenya mission, promote the establishment of a voluntary savings scheme for migrant workers,” the bill states, transferring duties to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Kenyan financial institutions may also negotiate favorable investment terms with Foreign Affairs CS.
If approved, recruiting agencies must protect migrant workers and reduce the number of Kenyans suffering abroad.