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{
    "id": 1623763,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623763/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 257,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "attachés in these embassies that we maintain in various capitals across the world. I believe this is a good Bill. I urge fellow Senators to support it because it solving a problem. I am confident that once it is enacted, we will have a better system for protecting our children who seek employment abroad. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I cannot conclude my submissions without congratulating the current Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Welfare. He has not been Nairobi-centric; he has travelled to various counties where he has actively promoted the Government’s policy of encouraging labour migration. He has visited different regions, emphasizing that there are employment opportunies for drivers, individuals to work in the hospitality industry and nurses outside the country. He has also specified qualifications that are required and the defined process for securing these positions. I know we have faced challenges. I recall the Cabinet Secretary appearing before committees and being questioned about some of these employment bureaus. However, with this Bill now in place and the implementation of this policy, I believe many of the issues that have bedevilled this industry through the labour migration will be reduced. One of our former colleagues here had raised many questions, leading to exchanges between herself as a Senator and the Cabinet Secretary. This generated a lot of fear and made people question whether these overseas job opportunities were genuine. I remember walking out of the Senate and meeting individuals who clearly stated that they had been conned. Their money was gone and they were not able to report to their stations or the promised jobs. These kinds of sentiments and uncertainties will be addressed by this law. When this Bill becomes law, I will confidently say that I am dealing with an employment bureau recognized by the Kenyan Government. It is registered and has passed through the vetting and validation process of the committee that has been set by the law. This will ensure that when I assist people from my county in Tana River to come to Nairobi, I can be certain that I am not dealing with conmen or fake bureaus seeking to fleece our young people of the little they have. I believe this Bill is responding to an existing need, addressing the confusion caused by the labour migration policy and settling the questions surrounding the implementation of this policy across the country. We will no longer have fake employment bureaus. All such bureaus will be required to register. As you can see, representatives from the DCI, the Director of Labour and senior Government officials, including the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, will be responsible for vetting applicants in this committee before granting a license. Moreover, that license can be revoked, as it is issued under specific conditions. If you do not fulfil those conditions, then you will not be able to operate. This settles a big problem and our people now will have confidence that this labour migration policy under President Ruto's Government is not just something that was being talked in the air and that after 2032 when he is gone, this thing will die. Now we have a signature legislation that will anchor this policy and help our people know where to seek jobs. With those many remarks, I again thank the sponsor of this Motion. It is a good Bill. I want to urge Senators to support it. I want to tell the country that this is where we shall go. We are moving away from uncertainty to a situation where there is certainty. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}