Following a petition by Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, the Senate Labour Committee was directed by the House to establish reasons behind rampant closure of businesses and job losses in the country.
Malala, who tabled his petition in October 2019, argued that closure of businesses was brought about by an unfavourable environment and the inability of a business to sustain itself.
The senator also linked the rising cases of depression among Kenyans to unemployment.
"If we allow these businesses to go down and Kenyans to lose employment, then we must be ready to shoulder heavy cases of depression," Malala told the Senate.
The petition by Malala came after at least 9 companies went under, sending 14,000 Kenyans into the pit of unemployment as reported by The Standard.
"As a country, we must delve more into the root causes of these closures and urge the government to enact favourable economic policies for businesses to thrive," Malala added.
The massive job cuts in the country are contrary to Jubilee Party's manifesto in which the ruling party promised Kenyans a million jobs each year.
“It is a paradox that the economy is performing worse when there is a ‘handshake’ than the time when we had proper political oversight," Malala concluded.
On Monday, October 15, Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani appointed Ex-Othaya MP, Mary Wambui to chair the National Employment Authority.
