Bill to abolish clearance certificate fees for youth filed

The National Assembly has set in motion plans to do away with a requirement for the youth seeking jobs to pay for clearance certificates from state agencies

According to a proposed law sponsored by nominated MP Gideon Keter, the Government should waive the fee paid by youth and persons living with disabilities to obtain the documents from bodies such as Higher Education Loans Board (Helb).

Apart from Helb, job seekers are required to get compliance certificates from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Others are a certificate of good conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and a letter from Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) indicating the applicant doesn’t owe any financial institution money.

The bill, that has been submitted to the National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and is awaiting formal introduction in the floor of the House, seeks to amend section 5 of the Employment Act.

Bill proposes

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Keter in the bill proposes the addition of a new sub-section in the Act.

It requires a Two-thirds majority to sail through the House.

“The Cabinet Secretary shall waive any fee imposed on a person categorised as a youth or as a person with disability, where it is mandatory to obtain the requisite clearance certificates in accessing employment at first instance,” reads the bill in part.

Speaking to The Standard yesterday, Mr Keter said thousands of job-seekers are unfairly being locked out from job opportunities because of the requirement to pay for the clearance certificates.

According to the MP, a job seeker at the moment is required to raise a minimum of Sh4,700 to get the documents. The amount includes Sh2,200 for CRB, Sh1,000 for good conduct, Sh1,000 for Helb and Sh500 for EACC.