Residents of Busia who are interested in seeking jobs in foreign countries have been advised to visit the Labour Office for proper guidance.
Speaking during a peaceful procession in Busia town on Monday, the Chairman of the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotel, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) Busia Chapter, Justus Namunde, said that a number of local residents face a lot of challenges after leaving the country.
‘So we want to thank COTU and ILO for supporting the sensitisation programme so that the local residents are guided accordingly,’ he said.
Namunde urged the employers in Busia to adhere to the labour laws whenever they engage workers from foreign countries.
“In Kenya, the minimum wage should be Sh8190, yet some employers pay as little as Sh3, 000,’ he said, adding that this is a violation of the law.
The official, however, pointed out that lack of understanding of the Kenyan language and suspicion of the union workers is a major challenge for Ugandan natives seeking employment in Busia.
“So on several occasions, they try to avoid us,” he said, adding that a section of employers immediately dismiss the foreign employees on realising that the workers’ union has sensitised them on their rights.
The COTU Labour Migration Programme Officer, Triza Abuko, said that there was need to sensitise the locals on safe labour migration because most of the immigrant labourers are from rural communities.
‘In the rural villages, most people do not understand the right procedures on how to migrate to foreign countries,’ she said, adding that a number of the workers use tourist visas to seek employment opportunities in foreign countries.
Abuko advised the local residents to visit the labour office so that they can be guided on the right procedures.
She pointed out that women and youth are the most affected when it comes to labour migration due to poverty and unemployment.
‘Sometimes the agents take advantage of the vulnerability of the job seekers and use it as an opportunity to defraud them,’ she said.
The official further urged interested job seekers to seek advice from other union workers, like the Union of Long Distance Truck Drivers and the Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers, which are affiliated to COTU.
Rose Omamo, the Executive Secretary for the Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers, said that COTU has a labour migration centre whose role is to sensitise labour migrants on safe migration.
Omamo underscored the need to ensure that labour migrants are granted decent jobs.
‘We want our migrant labourers to be respected and accorded human dignity,’ she said.
She at the same time disclosed that the government is currently working on the Labour Migration Bill with a view to address the gaps.
By Salome Alwanda
