Mehrra Kipefa

Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations, Mehrra Kipefa, said this will be a condition, after admitting that there are a lot of loopholes that need to be addressed with the issue of work permits.

The Department of Labour and Industrial Relations is looking at improving the terms of conditions of non-citizens coming into the country for employment.

“With work permits, we will incorporate every training part of it, after every three years, every person that comes in must train a local trainee,” stated the Minister.  

Labour and Industrial Relations Minister, Mehrra Kipefa, says there are suggestions to increase the minimum wage to K5 however, the board responsible for it will not meet until it has a new chairman.

While some companies comply with it, others do not and the Labour and Industrial Relations is looking at creating dialogue with the Internal revenue Commission.

“Most are saying we are paying tax, but we’ll talk to IRC to which companies comply with annual return statements so they must at least comply with the standard minimum wages to their workers,” said Kipefa.

He says the number of graduates is increasing every year with no jobs because they are given to expatriates coming into the country.

The Department of Labour and Industrial Relations have gone into reviewing job classifications in the country.

Minister Kipefa said: “For the past few years, the flood gates were open for non-citizens to pick up any job they want to pick in this country but this must stop one way or the other.