Atwoli urges foreign investors to directly employ Kenyans

Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU-K) Secretary General Francis Atwoli at Solidarity Building, Nairobi on April 26, 2025 during a meeting with Union's Secretary Generals and Stewards ahead of May 1st Labour day celebration [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has urged foreign investors in the country to employ Kenyans directly and not through outsourcing companies. Atwoli announced plans to push for amendments to the outsourcing laws, noting that the act by employers exploits workers and erodes the gains made by the union. "You can outsource services but every worker under such arrangements must be allowed to join unions," he said. He spoke on Saturday during a meeting with over 2000 elected shopstewards and county leaders of COTU-K affiliated unions where they sought to harmonise their concerns to present to President William Ruto ahead of May 1, Labour Day. He expressed concerns on the growing habit of outsourcing by employers, saying it denies government revenue that is essential for development of the country. "Outsourced workers do not pay tax to the government yet the government needs revenue for development. It must end," he said, accusing the employers of colluding with Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) not to cooperate with the government. Employment Act (2007) and the Labour Relations Act (2007) provides for workers the right to join trade unions and participate in collective bargaining, a requirement that, COTU said, employers have not been adhering to. "Workers are the engine of every production in the industry. A worker must be respected," he said. The sentiments by the COTU-K boss were echoed by Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah called for review of regulations governing licensing of foreign doctors in the country. According to Atellah, more than 1,300 foreign doctors have been licensed to practise in Kenya over the past decade, while nearly 4,000 trained local doctors remain unemployed. "As a union, we have no problem with foreign doctors, but we have a problem with employing them under exploitative terms," Atellah said during a press briefing at the Nairobi doctors' Annual General Meeting on Saturday. He added: "Private and mission hospitals have perfected the art of casualisation, importing foreign doctors, confiscating their passports and forcing them into unethical procedures under deplorable conditions." Atwoli said the union is also championing amendments of International Labour Organisation Convention 189 and 190 of 2019, promising to engage lawmakers to help in enhancing workers' rights and welfare. "As a country we must ensure we have progressive laws and policies that promote local manufacturing," he stated. He also criticised reports of employment of teachers through politicians, especially Members of Parliament, saying "it must stop." Themed "self-reliance in production is the key to economic growth," he said the country will only grow through industrial production.

Atwoli urges foreign investors to directly employ Kenyans

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Atwoli urges foreign investors to directly employ Kenyans

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