Nairobi — Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua is proposing that Kenyans working overseas should be compelled to have accounts in Kenya.
He stated that this will assist them save up for their retirement through the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
"The Ministry is proposing workers abroad to have to have accounts in Kenya in order to save for their retirement through the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) We are going to introduce this aspect of saving for our people working overseas so that when thing go wrong or their work contract ends they can come back home and benefit from their savings obtained from their employment," he stated.
The government in May announced plans to send 250,000 Kenyans to work abroad annually as it looks to enhance the country's remittances from abroad.
Speaking during a forum with employment agencies, Mutua promised to look into the issues raised with the prominent ones being changing the curriculum of study, holding of passports by agencies in Saudi Arabia.
The CS also promised to set up a hotline number to facilitate direct communication with him on issues concerning this industry and improvement of services.
Mutua who took over the labour docket assured that the Ministry will streamline the sector to facilitate Kenyans looking for work abroad, especially through government-sponsored bilateral labour agreements (BLAs) with other nations.
"This is the beginning of a long relationship. I want to assure you as a ministry that we will streamline the system to make it work for our workers willing to work abroad. We will set up an effective system to facilitate our workers through the National Employment Authority," he said.
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He noted that the Ministry will be keen on licensing recruitment agencies through stringent vetting processes in order to root out illegal agencies exploiting innocent Kenyans planning to work abroad.
Mutua urged the agencies to ensure they have active licenses given by the National Employment Authority (NEA) in order to operate.
He however warned the recruiting agencies against holding workers passports stating that it's against the law.
"It is against the law to hold someone's passport. You can only hold it while processing their travel documents, not holding them after they officially go to their work. That is against the law," he stated.
The government recently operationalized a labour migration desk at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to ensure Kenyan migrant workers have complied with all the necessary pre departure procedures before exiting the country.
The desk will help in curbing irregular migration of persons and unethical recruitment practices.
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