NATIONAL
President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the Bill will enable Kenyans to access quality health care. [File, Standard]
President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked Parliament to fast-track the passage of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (Amendment) Bill 2021.
The Bill that is still before the National Assembly and is yet to be debated on, proposes to make it mandatory for every Kenyan above 18 years to pay an annual contribution of Sh6000 the NHIF.
In his speech during the National Prayer Breakfast, the Head of State told the leadership of the two Houses that passing the bill will help citizens across the country have access to quality health care.
THE STANDARD
BUSINESS NEWS
Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli at his Ildamat Home in Kajiado County on April 29, 2021. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli is appealing to young people to embrace labour unions.
Speaking ahead of Labour Day celebration on why safe working conditions, fair wages and representation are vital to job security among the youth, especially at such time of disruptions to business and decline of economic activity due to Covid-19, Atwoli said unions remain important in the advancement of worker rights.
Atwoli said that the labour movement is powered by young people who identify with trade union principles and values. These members, he said, have the ability to negotiate from a position of strength for, among others, protection of wages and termination when exposed to the difficult economic and social realities of the 21st century.
THE STANDARD
COUNTIES
Francis Atwoli after being re-elected as Secretary-General of COTU for a fifth term in Kisumu, April 9, 2021. [Collins Odour, Standard]
Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli says the Covid-19 pandemic has plunged millions of workers into joblessness.
Speaking during Labour Day Celebrations at State House, Nairobi on May 1, 2021, in an event attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Atwoli said workers have little to celebrate as the pandemic has impacted jobs and affected livelihoods.
Lauding President Kenyatta’s economic stimulus measures, Atwoli said the interventions reduced the adverse effects of the coronavirus crisis on workers.
“As COTU, an umbrella body of workers in the country, we will work closely with your Government to make sure that we steer our economy to higher heights in order to address the job losses that we have all witnessed as a result of this pandemic,” he said.