Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu will on Wednesday table a motion before Parliament seeking to have the minimum wage increased by 50 per cent to Ksh.22,680 up from Ksh.15,120.
Nyamu in her motion states that the current minimum wage is too low for Kenyans to survive on, adding that by increasing it workers will be more productive which will, in turn, allow the State to collect more revenue for the betterment of the economy.
“Further aware that there exists a symbiotic relationship between the employer and the employee where both acquire mutual benefits from each other, considering that workers form the largest part of the consumer base for most goods and services produced in any economy,” the Senator says in her Motion.
“Appreciating that in the year 2022 the then government reviewed the minimum wage upwards by 12% thereby making the lowest paid worker earn Ksh.15,120; Recognizing that the government collects huge revenue from employees in form of taxes and other statutory deductions.”
Nyamu wants Labour CS Florence Bore to hold discussions with the wage council to publish a new order on the same in line with the Labour Institution Act, 2007.
The last time the minimum wage was increased was on May 1, 2022, by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kenyatta, while addressing Kenyans during the year’s Labour Day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, said the decision was aimed at cushioning the country’s workforce against the rising cost of living owing to external economic factors.
