KUDHEIHA General Secretary Brother Albert Njeru is excited that workers got the minimum wage increase during Labor Day celebration, stating that it was one of his happiest days to be alive.

In his speech to mark the 2022 Labor Day, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a 12 percent rise on minimum monthly, offering a relief to workers who had gone for three years without a salary review.

The minimum basic pay was last reviewed upwards in May 2018 at the rate of five percent.

“In full appreciation of the critical contribution of workers to the economy [and] following the recommendation of various stakeholders… we find that there is a compelling case to review the minimum wages so as to cushion our workers against further erosion of their purchasing power, while also guaranteeing the competitiveness of our economy,” the President said.

The increment came despite protests from employers who say the country’s economic is in turmoil.

For Brother Njeru, “a well taken care of employee is value to the employer. They show commitment, loyalty and productivity”, he said excitedly.

As a result of the increase, The average minimum wage for a general laborer like a cleaner, messenger, house help and gardener in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu rose from Ksh13,572.90 will rise to Ksh15,201.64.

Triumph for the family

Njeru added that the translation of the wage is that no one should earn less than Ksh500 a day. Effectively no one should be earning less than a dollar a day, he quipped.

He asserted that wage is a human rights issue which helps ensure social protection.

As a trade union representing interests of domestic, hotel, education, hospitals and churches, it is woven as an institution that builds and represents the interests of the family.