Kenyans working abroad face a mandatory deduction to go towards the Kenya Migrant Workers Welfare Fund in new proposals that are aimed at addressing the migrant workers’ needs.
In the proposal by the Ministry of Labour, all Kenyans working abroad will be registered to the Fund for the deductions and help the government monitor the workers as they address their needs.
The Ministry argues that the Fund will act as a Relief Fund for workers in cases of medical emergencies and other when they are stranded overseas.
Families of migrant workers will also benefit from the Fund in cases when the principal contributor dies.
The exact amount for deductions is yet to be set by the government even as the legislation establishing the fund is expected to be made public in the coming days.
Notably, CS Florence Bore in March revealed that the proposals for the Fund were in top gear even as the government seeks to address numerous challenges that have been faced by migrant workers over time.
She detailed that over four million Kenyans were working abroad noting that the reforms would come in handy in streamlining the sector.
The Fund will also be established in line with the Labor Migration Policy 2023 which was approved by Cabinet real in the year.
“Kenya is working towards the establishment of the Kenya Migrant Workers’ Welfare Fund that will provide migrant workers with the necessary social protection,”  Bore stated during the 2nd IGAD Ministerial Conference on Labour, Employment and Labour Migration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“The Policy (Labour Migration Policy 2023) aims to promote good governance in labour migration, protect migrant workers, promote their welfare and that of their families, and optimize labour migration benefits in development,”
Occasionally, Kenyan migrant workers have been stranded when facing health-related issues or mistreatment from their bosses especially those from the Gulf region.
This has seen Kenyans being forced to contribute funds to bring their relatives back to Kenyans.
With the new proposals, the government is set to boost the kitty which could probably run to billions owing to monthly remittances that have been witnessed from Kenyans working abroad.
As of July, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) estimated that Kenyans abroad had disturbed over Ksh350 billion in 2023.
