Kenyans in Rwanda will work for eight hours instead of the usual nine, starting January 2023.
On Friday, November 11, the Rwandan government approved new working hours that will begin from 9 am to 5 pm for public officers instead of the current duration that starts from 8 am to 5 pm.
This regulation of working hours applies to everyone in the country, including Kenyans.
“Official working hours will be eight hours excluding a one-hour lunch break, and including a flexible hour between 8:00am and 9:00am, where an employee may work remotely,” the communique reads in part.
However, the Rwandan Cabinet clarified that school hours will start at 8:30 am and not 9 am as before.
The government believed that the changes would significantly help improve parenting and protect young children from physical exhaustion due to waking up early.
Both school and official working hours will stretch through to the evening, from Monday to Friday.
This means employees will now be working a combined 40 hours a week (instead of 45).
Records from the Rwandan government show that Kenyans form the largest group of foreign workers, most of whom work under the Ministry of Education.
Rwandan Parliament will soon review the 2018 Law Regulating Labour to make the new working hours operational.
Kenya and Rwanda are great allies in areas of immigration, infrastructure, military engagement and technology.
