Labour Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui on Wednesday, May 13, revealed that a number of Kenyans rendered jobless by the Covid-19 pandemic would be receiving monthly stipends from the government.
The ministry estimated that around 1.2 million Kenyans had by May lost their jobs since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in early March.
The financial support proposal for vulnerable workers targets about 350,000 workers who are set to receive Ksh5,000 each for three months.
Of the 1.2 million Kenyans, the ministry has narrowed down the vulnerable to 35% which translates to 352,943 people who will receive the stipend via mobile money once the program is rolled out.
"We are doing this, with our source of information being the recent household survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
"We have also carried out our own engagement with the social partners, that is the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU).
"My ministry keeps on receiving notices of redundancies and it ties well with what we have in our survey," Chelugui stated.
Around 200,000 Kenyans in the formal sector were also laid off due to the global pandemic as the economy suffered a huge setback.
The worst-hit sectors being the warehousing, retail, hotel and accommodation with over 600,000 workers losing their jobs.
"Our focus is living, to ensure livelihoods are sustained so, in that case, we would also have to go out of our way to ensure that we support these people.
"That is briefly, actions and plans that we as Ministry of Labour and Social Protection have taken to ensure that we minimise the pain caused to these vulnerable groups," he added.
