Francis Atwoli, Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions Kenya (COTU), has called for the dissolution of the National Employment Authority (NEA), which would mean disaster for the agency’s civil servants.
In a statement on his official X account on Monday, May 19, Atwoli alleged that the agency collaborates with other employment agencies to facilitate the export of domestic workers without undertaking the appropriate assessments.
Atwoli believes that the agents’ poor recruitment procedures have facilitated ‘modern-day slave smugglers’, particularly in Gulf countries.Atwoli emphasized that the agency should be a department of the Ministry of Labour, not an autonomous one.
“This is something I have spoken out against for a long time. If you review past press statements, you’ll find I consistently warned Kenyans and urged the government to abolish the NEA,” Atwoli said.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: NEA is an agent of modern slavery. It should not be a standalone authority but rather a department within the Ministry of Labour,” he added.
“NEA collaborates closely with employment agents, who are nothing short of modern-day slave traders.” Furthermore, the COTU SG believes that the government should repeal regulations allowing employment agencies to function freely in the country in order to safeguard domestic workers, particularly young people, from ‘slavery’ abroad.
“We must oppose the export of domestic workers and untrained labour, especially to the Gulf region. It is modern slavery, plain and simple,” the SG said.
Atwoli has emphasized the importance of the country designing and implementing policies to boost its economy.He also advocated for the creation of more job possibilities in the country in order to reduce the export of domestic workers to foreign countries.
“Instead of exporting our workforce, we need mechanisms to grow our economy and create employment opportunities within Kenya. Kenya has long been a hub of economic activity in the region,” he said.
Atwoli’s statement comes just two weeks after Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said that recruitment agencies involved in bogus overseas job offers have no ties to the government.
According to Mutua, who was speaking on Spice FM on Wednesday, May 7, he claimed that he had submitted a list of 153 unlicensed job recruitment companies to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for investigations and action.
“What makes me unhappy is when you find people who sell their property and then give the money to a person who vanishes,” the CS said.“
But the good thing is that that has really gone down, and the numbers have gone down. We have put the pressure.”
