A girl herds goats in northern Kenya. (File, Standard)
Turkana leaders have ordered UN agencies operating in the region to consider recruiting skilled local workers for senior positions, while warning some non-governmental organisations about possible violations of labour laws.
Addressing leaders in Lodwar, Turkana central lawmaker Joseph Emathe Namuar accused some UN agencies of favouring foreigners over locals in job placement.
Namuar explained that locals must enjoy the benefits of decentralized units as prescribed by law and therefore NGOs working in the region must employ 70 percent of locals.
“It seems that some UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the region have ignored the fact that preference should be given to locals when seeking employment. “We have hundreds of qualified graduates with specialised skills who are under-utilised,” Namuar said.
The MP regretted that some non-governmental organisations still consider the locals to be lacking in education, despite the fact that the region has a number of graduates with PhDs, Masters and university degrees.
“We have a formidable pool of graduates who are up to the task,” the MP said. “We can demonstrate to Kenyans that the region is home to a large number of skilled unemployed graduates. NGOs should stop bringing in skilled labour pools from outside the country. We are no longer in the past, but in the present.”
“We have a formidable pool of graduates who are up to the task,” the MP said. He explained that the law specifies that locals should receive 70 percent of the employment quota, while other Kenyans compete for the remaining 30 percent, but some disgruntled elements have ignored the law.
He warned that if they are not satisfied with the agreement, they will not be able to operate in the region and will have to pack their belongings and leave.
According to the MP, most of the country’s higher education institutions are managed by local citizens who understand the problems of the community.
County Assembly Minority Leader Samuel Lomodo said they will introduce legislation on the House floor to force NGOs to comply with the 70 percent employment rule. “We will enact legislation to regulate the employment of our own people who have been marginalized. We have noticed that most of the staff have been denied employment rights,” Lomodo said.
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