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The government is in the process of reviewing the current labour laws to align them with the emerging issues in the world of work, with an aim of advancing social justice for all.
The Principal Secretary, State Department for Labour and Skills Development, Shadrack Mwadime, says the government recognizes promotion and protection of human rights and labour rights as indispensable pillars for sustainable development, which should not be treated as a privilege but a universal entitlement inherent to every individual by virtue of their humanity.
Drawing parallel between human rights and economic development,the Principal Secretary posited, “human rights are enablers of sustainable development as it ensures that development is inclusive, participatory, and equitable”
Mwadime made the remarks when he addressed the Annual Forum of the Global Coalition for Social Justice,at this year’s International Labour Conference at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland that ended last Friday.
Unfortunately, and despite significant progress globally,the world continues to witness persistent violations in form of exploitative labour practices, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, and exclusion of vulnerable groups from decent work.
“such challenges undermine social cohesion and economic prosperity.” Mwadime told the meeting.
The Principal Secretary reported that Kenya has joined the alliance 8.7 as a pathfinder country to advance efforts towards elimination of child labour, noting that the constitution of Kenya is explicit in its commitment to human rights, anchoring socio-economic rights, the right to fair labour practices and freedom from discrimination,
“We have developed a “Kenya alliance 8.7 road map (2025-2030)” which is a national strategic plan to accelerate the fight against forced labour, human trafficking, child labour, and modern slavery in Kenya,” he said.
The Forum, convened under the theme “human rights economy”, brought together coordinating partners with the goal of addressing systemic inequalities through collaboration across sectors and expertise.
Mwadime said Social Dialogue has remained the cornerstone of Kenya’s labour governance architecture, citing the National Labour Board, Wages Council and the Tripartite Committee on labour law as being instrumental in resolving industrial disputes formulating policies, setting minimum wages and promoting consultative and participatory decision-making.
He highlighted Kenya’s modernization of Labour inspection and compliance framework through digitization and capacity building of inspection officers, which he noted has increased coverage and improved compliance in the formal and informal sectors.
