Senators want State to crack down on rogue employment agencies
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei addressing journalists at a past event. He wants the Labour Ministry to provide details of private employment agencies.
Senators want the government to crack down on rogue private employment agencies.
This comes after the National Employment Authority (NEA) revealed that 401 employment agencies are operating in the country without valid licences. According to data from the regulator, there are 932 registered employment agencies in the country, but only 531 have valid licences.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei asked the Senate Committee on Labour to have the Ministry of Labour come clean on the status of private employment agencies in Kenya.
He said the ministry should outline the requirements for registration, as well as provide a list of the agencies operating in the country and their registration status. He also demanded that the ministry sheds light on measures taken by NEA to combat the rising cases of Kenyans being exploited by the agencies.
“They should also disclose the total number of Kenyans who have secured employment abroad through private employment agencies, indicating the agencies involved in these placements,” he added.
According to the Association of Skilled Migrant Agencies of Kenya (Asmak), of the 320 recruitment agencies accredited by NEA, only about 100 are members of the two recognised associations—Asmak and Kenya Association of Private Employment Agencies.
Exploitation
In April, Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore announced that the government would crack down on rogue employment agencies exploiting vulnerable Kenyans seeking employment abroad. However, senators accused the government of offering lip service.
Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma said the Labour Ministry must now put in place effective measures to monitor those who are licensed to carry out recruitment while also ensuring the National Industrial Training Authority has what it takes to train those who are going to work outside the country.
“If you remove a young girl from Kiambu without giving her any cultural training around the Islamic way of life, take them to Saudi Arabia and expect that she will blend in because it is a job, we are actually setting them up for failure,” she said.
