Ruto Orders Increase In Minimum Wage By 6 Per Cent
Ruto called upon the CS as well as the committee to report to him later how much the calculations would tabulate to.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
President William Ruto has announced that the government will move to ensure the realisation of a six per cent increase in the minimum wage.
Speaking on Wednesday, May 1 during the Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, the Head of State tasked Labour Cabinet Secretary (CS) Florence Bore to engage a council for discussions on the directive.
Ruto called upon the CS as well as the committee to report to him later how much the calculations would tabulate.
"I want to tell our labour CS to call the responsible committee and have a meeting so that we increase the minimum wage by a minimum of 6 per cent and you should tell me how the maths will be done."
President William Ruto with Francis Atwoli in attendance at Uhuru Gardens on May 1, 2024. /FLORENCE BORE
"We shall then discuss how the matter will progress forward," he announced.
The council consists of representatives from the Central Organisation of Trade Unions-Kenya (COTU) headed by Francis Atwoli, the Federation of Kenya Employers and the government among others.
What Are Minimum Wages?
Minimum wages have been defined as the minimum amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage earners for the work performed during a given period, which cannot be reduced by a collective agreement or an individual contract.
Following this definition, minimum wages exist in more than 90 per cent of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) member States.
The purpose of minimum wages is to protect workers against unduly low pay. They help ensure a just and equitable share of the fruits of progress to all, and a minimum living wage to all who are employed and in need of such protection.
Minimum wages can also be one element of a policy to overcome poverty and reduce inequality, including those between men and women.
Minimum wage systems should be defined and designed in a way to supplement and reinforce other social and employment policies, including collective bargaining, which is used to set terms of employment and working conditions.
Historically, the purpose of minimum wages has evolved from a policy tool to be used selectively in a few low-wage sectors to an instrument of much broader coverage.
Minimum Wages In Kenya
The country's bottom-of-the-food chain workers last saw their pay raised in 2022 when President Uhuru Kenyatta increased the minimum wage by 12 per cent.
In 2022, the minimum wage rose from Ksh13,500 to Ksh15,120 which stayed constant ever since.
After the deliberations, the lowest-earning Kenyan worker will be expected to pocket a Ksh16,027 monthly salary.
