By Oliver Ochieng
Kenyan workers have every reason to smile, after President William Ruto ordered for implementation of an increase of the minimum wage, by at least 6 percent.
Addressing the nation during the 59th International Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, President Ruto did not announce the increase right away, but directed Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore to spearhead the process of raising the minimum wage.
“I urge the relevant authorities, particularly the Ministry of Labour, to convene a meeting with the appropriate committee to discuss and implement a minimum wage increase of at least 6 percent,” he stated.
“You will tell me how the calculation will be done and how we shall move forward.”
Ahead of the celebrations, COTU-K Secretary General Francis Atwoli had called on the Head of State to declare an increase in the general wage, to caution Kenyan workers from the high cost of living.
Several matters always come into play, when calculating the minimum wage increase. The factors include inflation rates, cost of living adjustments, and economic growth indicators.
The President gave the directive moments after Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o in an address to the press, said there is little to celebrate during today’s Labour Day due to the high cost of living in the country.
“In Kenya, we are marking the Labour Day amid a crisis at the workplace. Hard economic times have resulted in redundancies. Those still in employment are surviving by a thread because of ballooning taxes,” he said.
Concerning the doctors strike, the President urged the striking medics to go back to work, as his administration works on resolving some of their grievances.
“We have tabled what the government is ready to do; 17 out of the 19 demands, the rest is not possible because of financial constraints. I beseech doctors to go back to work, we will sort things out, fix the economy and everyone will get their due in the future. We must be brutally honest with one another, there is no need to lie.”
Doctors have been on strike since March 14, 2024, pushing for among others, bimplementation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and posting of intern doctors.
Doctors maintain that they will only go to work after all their demands are met by the government.
