President William Ruto has met Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K) Secretary General Francis Atwoli at State House, Nairobi, for discussions on the rights and welfare of Kenyan workers, including efforts to improve wages and working conditions.
The meeting comes amid an unresolved debate over the implementation of a wage increase announced by President Ruto during this year's Labour Day celebrations.
According to President Ruto, the discussions focused on improving working conditions, with better wages forming part of his administration's plan to raise the status of workers.
Atwoli said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the rights and welfare of Kenyan workers.
He described the discussions as fruitful and said he thanked the President for what he termed his determination to transform the country.
Atwoli also said he assured President Ruto of the support of Kenyan workers in the realisation of his development agenda.
The meeting comes after COTU raised concerns over the implementation of the wage increase announced by Ruto on May 1 during the 61st Labour Day celebrations.
In July, Atwoli called for the immediate gazettement and implementation of what he said was the President's 12 per cent general wage increase for Kenyan workers, alongside a 15 per cent increase for agricultural workers.
Atwoli argued that the subsequent gazette notice appeared to address adjustments to the statutory minimum wage rather than the broader general wage increase he said Ruto had announced.
According to the COTU secretary general, the distinction was important because an increase in the statutory minimum wage primarily affects workers earning at or below the prescribed minimum, while a general wage increase would apply across the wider wage structure.
Atwoli also alleged that some employer interests had lobbied government institutions to replace the promised general wage increase with an adjustment of the statutory minimum wage.
He called on the Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary to gazette the 12 per cent general wage increase "exactly as announced" by the President and urged the Office of the President to intervene to ensure the commitment to workers was implemented.
The latest meeting between Ruto and Atwoli therefore comes against the backdrop of COTU's push for the broader wage commitment to be implemented, with the union maintaining that the President's announcement should be honoured in full.
The discussions at State House could provide an avenue for renewed engagement between the government and the workers' movement on wages, working conditions and the welfare of Kenyan workers.
