Central Organisation of Trade Unions Kenya (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has called for the abolition of the National Employment Authority (NEA), spelling doom for the civil servants working in the agency.
In a statement on his official X account on Monday, May 19, Atwoli claimed that the agency works closely with other employment agencies that are facilitating the export of domestic workers without conducting the necessary assessment.
Atwoli claims that this improper recruitment procedure from the agents has, in turn, facilitated 'modern-day slave traders', especially in the Gulf countries.
Atwoli stressed that the agency should be a department under the Ministry of Labour and not an independent agency.
"This is something I have spoken out against for a long time. If you review past press statements, you'll find I consistently warned Kenyans and urged the government to abolish the NEA," Atwoli said.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: NEA is an agent of modern slavery. It should not be a standalone authority but rather a department within the Ministry of Labour. NEA collaborates closely with employment agents, who are nothing short of modern-day slave traders," he added.
Furthermore, the COTU SG says the government should also abolish laws that allow employment agents to operate freely in the country to protect domestic workers, especially the youth, from 'slavery' abroad.
"We must oppose the export of domestic workers and untrained labour, especially to the Gulf region. It is modern slavery, plain and simple," the SG said.
Atwoli has further stressed the need for the country to architect and lay out measures that will propel the country's economy and create more employment opportunities in the country so as to stop the export of domestic workers to other countries.
"Instead of exporting our workforce, we need mechanisms to grow our economy and create employment opportunities within Kenya. Kenya has long been a hub of economic activity in the region," he said.
Atwoli's statement comes barely two weeks after the Labour Cabinet secretary, Alfred Mutua, claimed that job agencies that may be involved in fake overseas job offers have no connection with the government.
According to Mutua, who was speaking on Spice FM on Wednesday, May 7, he claimed that he had submitted a list of 153 unlicensed job recruitment companies to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for investigations and action.
"What makes me unhappy is when you find people who sell their property and then give the money to a person who vanishes. But the good thing is that that has really gone down, and the numbers have gone down. We have put the pressure," the CS said.
