Labour CS says 390 Kenyans died in the workplace

President William Ruto (2nd-left) is received by COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja (centre) and Labour CS Florence Bore during Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi. [Elvis, Ogina, Standard]

Some 390 Kenyans died at their various places of work last year, Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore said.

Bore said the deaths were out of the total 7,731 occupational accidents recorded last year.

She noted that since July 1, 2023, 4,357 workers were involved in accidents at various workplaces in the country. Out of these, 118 were fatal, constituting three per cent.

The CS attributed the data to the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services.

The details emerged when Kenya marked the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, celebrated on Sunday 29.

It was marked under the theme; “Impacts of Climate Change on Occupational Safety and Health.”

James Mithanga, assistant director, Occupational Safety and Health in Nairobi county, said road accidents are the leading cause of workplace injuries and deaths.

This is followed by the construction sector, electrocution and machines in Nairobi county.

Mithanga noted that between April 2022 and April 2024, Nairobi recorded 321 fatalities in the workplace. Of these, 304 were men and 17 women.

This comes as Kenyans celebrate the 59th International Labour Day.

“The World Day for Safety and Health at Work also gives us an opportunity to take stock of the strides made in occupational safety and health. The Ministry is at the forefront of laying plans that relate to the development of workplace accident preventive strategies and promotion of occupational safety and health at workplaces, through the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services,” said Bore.

“In unfortunate situations where injuries are sustained, processing of injury compensation for the victims is the responsibility of the Ministry. It is therefore paramount to report workplace injuries for prompt redress. And now, the Ministry is keen to ensure that emerging issues in the digital world are adequately addressed,” she added.

Bore explained that reporting incidences of occupational accidents assists the Ministry in designing preventive strategies, report on the development of workplace accidents as well as processing injury compensation for the accident victims.

“I urge all employers to be prompt in reporting occupational accidents and diseases for early investigations, possible remedies and planning by my ministry,” she said.

Kenya is a signatory to several International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions including C121- Employment Injury Benefits Convention of 1964, C155-Occupational Safety and Health Convention of 1981 and C187-Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health of 2006.

The conventions are key in addressing workplace injuries as well as occupational safety and health but most of them have not been ratified.

“As a Ministry, we are keen to having a number of these key conventions ratified and thanks to our partnership with ILO we will see the process to success,” Bore said.

Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary General Francis Atwoli said he has been pushing for ratification of the conventions.

He called for education and awareness of practices to combat climate change globally to avoid the impacts of climate change-induced risks.

“Education and awareness are crucial in this fight, equipping both workers and employers with the knowledge and tools necessary to deal with occupation challenges posed by climate change,” said Atwoli.

“Understanding the risks and adopting preventive measures can greatly reduce the impact on workers’ health and safety,” he added.

Mithanga advised employers to be proactive on how to prevent accidents by continuously doing risk assessments at workplaces and coming up with mitigation measures.