Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Supreme Court Judge Justice Smokin Wanjala and Justice Monica Mbaru at the fourth Employment and Labour Relations Annual Symposium and Exhibition/HANDOUTPrime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called for stronger protection of Kenyan migrant workers through robust recruitment systems, effective bilateral agreements and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
Mudavadi also rooted for cross-border judicial cooperation, accessible alternative dispute resolution, and greater use of technology and innovation to protect the workers.
Speaking when he officially opened the fourth Employment and Labour Relations Annual Symposium and Exhibition at Strathmore University in Nairobi, the Prime Cabinet Secretary noted that access to justice should remain available to Kenyan workers irrespective of where they are employed.
He highlighted the growing importance of labour migration to Kenya’s economic development and foreign policy, noting that more than 540,000 Kenyans are employed abroad and diaspora remittances exceeded US$5 billion in 2025.
The meeting was held under the theme, “Labour Migration and Access to Justice: Strengthening Judicial Responses to Inclusive and Effective Labour Justice Systems.”
Mudavadi outlined government efforts to promote safe, regular and orderly labour migration through initiatives such as Kazi Majuu and bilateral labour agreements with destination countries, while addressing risks including fraudulent recruitment, trafficking, unsafe employment and exploitation.
“We must strengthen collaboration among the Judiciary, government, employers, workers’ representatives, legal practitioners, development partners and other stakeholders to build a labour migration system that protects workers’ rights and dignity while supporting safe and productive international labour mobility,” he stated.
On her part, Chief Justice Martha Koome called for stronger, more inclusive and responsive labour justice systems to protect workers in an increasingly mobile and interconnected global economy as well as for coordinated action among government agencies, employers, trade unions, recruitment agencies, consular services, the legal profession, civil society, international partners and the Judiciary.
In a speech read on her behalf by Supreme Court Judge and Director General, Kenya Judiciary Academy Justice Dr Smokin Wanjala, the CJ said labour migration was reshaping the world of work and required justice institutions to adapt to the realities of cross-border employment.
She said the meeting aimed to contribute to building “labour justice fit for an increasingly mobile world,” one where every legal right is matched by a realistic pathway to an effective remedy.
Koome reiterated the Judiciary’s commitment to responsive justice, which is anchored in the Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) blueprint, noting that it places people and their lived realities at the centre of justice delivery.
“Justice must travel with the worker,” the CJ said, emphasising that crossing an international border in search of employment should not mean crossing beyond the protection of the law.
Koome noted that behind the statistics are individuals and families whose livelihoods depend on fair and dignified employment.
She cautioned that migrant workers can face heightened vulnerabilities, including recruitment abuses, language and legal barriers, dependence on employers or recruitment agencies, and difficulties accessing complaints mechanisms and effective remedies across jurisdictions.
She identified procedural accessibility, timeliness, effective enforcement, vulnerability-sensitive adjudication and appropriate dispute-resolution mechanisms as key elements of a migrant-responsive labour justice system.
