BY PETER KARANJA
Kenyans who happen to lose their jobs could continue drawing a salary for six months from the date of firing – should the government succeed in its quest to cushion Kenyans from tough economic times.
The proposal, dubbed Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), and which is yet to receive a nod from the government, was made by Labour Principal Secretary, Peter Tum.
In the proposal, Tum wants employers to be compelled to pay all sacked employees for six months.
The move has received backing from the Kenyan government.
The arrangement will be done in collaboration with the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU).
This means that all salaried Kenyans will continue to draw their salary at least for six months after being sacked.
The move is intended to cushion Kenyans at a time when Covid-19 has ravaged the country.
To achieve this, employees will get to contribute one percent of their salaries which will later be used for this purpose.
This would no doubt be a welcome move especially given that hundreds of Kenyans lost jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic.