By Ebi Kesiena
President William Ruto has said the country is looking into changing labour laws that will appreciate remote jobs.
Speaking during the official opening of the Youth Connekt Africa summit held in Nairobi on Saturday, the head of state said what matters is the youth are working and know what they are doing and doing well while at it.
“We are on the verge of amending Kenya’s laws to acknowledge the existence of remote jobs that liberate individuals from the constraints of traditional office spaces. Whether you’re in formal attire or a casual t-shirt at home, what matters is the quality of work,” President Ruto said.
Encouraging an open-minded approach to work, Ruto urged the public to embrace the concept of remote employment, emphasizing that productivity is not confined to physical office spaces. He challenged the conventional belief that effective work requires a traditional office setting with a supervising boss.
President Ruto highlighted a peculiar court case where a Kenyan working remotely for a U.S.-based company was allegedly required to obtain a letter of appointment.
“We have a very interesting case in court, where the court ruled that if you are working in Nairobi for a company in the United States of America, you must get a letter of appointment. That is ridiculous. Are you interested in a letter of appointment or are you interested in working and obtaining a salary?” he asked.
A study conducted in 2021 by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) revealed that 1.2 million Kenyans are engaged in online work, earning an average of Sh20,773 per month. The survey indicated that 63 percent of adult Kenyans are aware of the gig economy, reflecting a growing awareness of non-traditional work arrangements.
The study, commissioned by the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, identified digital marketers as the largest group of online workers, numbering 461,523, followed by website article writers and academic writers at 266,402 and 168,022, respectively. President Ruto’s proposed changes in labor laws aim to accommodate and support this evolving landscape of remote employment in Kenya.
