The Federation of Kenya Employers was privileged to host a delegation from Uganda at Waajiri House on 2nd August 2023. The purpose of the meeting was to learn from FKE and share some of the best practices on the management and operations of the Migrant Resource Centers (MRC), as well as understand the labour migration governance framework for Kenya. The Federation has been collaborating with institutions managing MRCs such as NEA, ILO and COTU.
The Ugandan delegation was led by Mr. Richard Bigirwa, Secretary Generaln National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU) , alongside representatives from Uganda Hotels, Food, Tourism, Supermarket and Allied Workers Union (HTS-Union) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) .
The Ugandan team was received by Ms. Grace Kaome , Manager HR & Administration, who was representing the CEO, Ms. Jacqueline Mugo. While making her remarks, Ms. Kaome voiced FKEs commitment in supporting initiatives that promote ethical, safe and orderly labour migration practices that guarantees the safety of migrant workers. She said that the Federation was working with the Association of Skilled Migrant Agencies of Kenya (ASMAK) and the Kenya Association of Private Employment Agencies (KAPEA) under Fairway Project to improve conditions of labour migration across migration pathways from Africa to Gulf States.
On his part, Mr. Bigirwa said that Uganda was keen to ensure ethical recruitment practices are enforced which will ultimately benefit the migrant workers both financially and in terms of skills. He however noted that there was need to tap into the skills of the returnee migrant and giving them the necessary advice on investment avenues and thus the need for Migrant Resource Centers. He was confident that the visit to FKE would be an eye opener on how they could improve the management of these MRCs.
The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) approach to labour migration is based on mobility, Development and Protection. FKE regards regular labour migration as a key pillar of economic integration and development.