The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General, Francis Atwoli, now wants the government to consider changes to statutory deductions on salaried Kenyans to reflect current economic realities.
Atwoli, while speaking during the Labour Day Celebrations at the Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, called on President William Ruto's administration to amend the law to allow statutory deductions on the basic salary rather than the gross pay.
While addressing the gathering, the trade unionist urged the Head of State to intervene and address the pressing concerns to ensure workers' overall financial stability.
According to Atwoli, while salaried Kenyans worked hard to improve their lifestyles, most of them grapple with high taxes that he claimed greatly stifled their economic growth.
"These taxes should not be on the gross salary; it should be on the basic, so that the gross pay is not interfered with. I know the President will look into that," Atwoli commented.
"All deductions, including statutory deductions, should be on basic pay because people toil very hard, but they do not get anything in the aftermath," he added.
During the event, the COTU Secretary General also lamented the government's decision to outsource labour, stating that such actions hampered the current regime's efforts to hit revenue targets.
Atwoli called on the government to instead subject all outsourced labourers to statutory deductions just like local workers, adding that it would help in boosting Kenya's revenue collection.
Commenting on the United States President Donald Trump's controversial policies, the COTU boss noted that Trump's actions allowed Kenya to rethink its trajectory.
"Donald Trump’s policies, which are focused on building and manufacturing capabilities of the US through self-reliance, call for all of us to rethink how we can be free and independent economically," he said.
Additionally, Atwoli took a swipe at Kenyans criticising Ruto's administration. In his speech, the COTU Secretary General called on Kenyans to exercise patriotism.
He also proposed the regulation of social media in a bid to tackle the growing misuse of digital platforms, further warning that social media misuse could plunge the country into chaos.
