Labour CS nominee Mutua aims for 50 bilateral agreements to protect workers

Labour CS nominee, Alfred Mutua, has set his eyes on winning up to 50 bilateral labour agreements if Parliament approves him, which he feels will tremendously help Kenyan workers abroad.

Speaking during his vetting on Sunday at County Hall, and Parliament buildings, the former Machakos Governor stated that his goal is to ensure better protection and rights for those seeking employment outside the country.

"One of the things that I want to do in terms of migration is ensure that we have labour bilateral agreements," Mutua stated. "We have only signed four which were signed even before the Kenya Kwanza government got into power," Mutua said.

"We have another 16 or 17 pending. My move is to get close to 30, if not 50 bilateral labour agreements," he added.

Mutua also the former CS for Tourism expressed his concern over the current state of labour migration, highlighting the challenges faced by Kenyan workers abroad.

"The challenge we have is that when people go outside this country, they go by themselves. At times, they get abused and don't get the rights they should. This is because we lack sufficient bilateral labour agreements," he explained.

By increasing the number of these agreements, Mutua who appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, believes Kenyan workers will be better protected and their rights upheld with the bilateral agreements in place.

He shared his strategy for achieving this goal, citing the need to tackle bureaucratic hurdles.

"I've been able to do a bit of research, and the problem is the bureaucracy that we have within our government system. I  will work with my colleagues and bring it up to the cabinet if I am appointed and passed by this house," Mutua added.

In addition to that, the Labour CS nominee outlined his achievements during his reign at the Tourism Ministry.

Mutua observed that the structures he helped develop have increased the number of tourists.

He told the committee that by the end of the year, they expect up to three million visitors. He projected that this trend would continue, reaching five million in the next 18 months.

Mutua announced the introduction of a new compensation scheme for human-wildlife conflict, with a billion shillings already paid to victims who had been waiting for a long time.

"I have also put in place systems so that more people could be paid," he said.

He also mentioned that he has put an end to corruption in park fencing projects, which he said had previously been a way for individuals to embezzle funds.

"When I came in, I realised we were fencing parks a kilometre for Sh3 million as a way of keeping the animals away. I looked around, I did my research and realised the government was being conned,” he said.

"We were able to advertise and brought it down to a reserve price of Sh850,000 a kilometre for the same standard of wiring," Mutua added.

If approved, Mutua will succeed Florence Bore, who was dismissed from the position by President William Ruto last month.