NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 26 – The Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) has raised concern over the lack of funding for the National Labour Board (NLB), warning that persistent delays threaten industrial harmony, undermine workforce development, and risk crippling productivity initiatives across sectors.
COFEK said the funding gap also undermines President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, particularly efforts to transform the workforce beyond the provisions of Article 41 of the Constitution.
In a letter to Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, the consumer lobby cited the complete lack of budgetary allocation to the statutory body, saying this has significantly disrupted labour relations involving the private sector, workers, and government.
“It is unacceptable that the NLB has not met since April 2025 and has been forced to rely on local and international organisations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) to partially fulfil its duties,” COFEK Secretary General Stephen Mutoro said in the letter.
“The complete absence of a functional Board threatens industrial harmony, undermines workforce development, and risks crippling productivity initiatives across sectors. It also undermines H.E President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up agenda to transform our workforce beyond the provisions of Article 41 of the Constitution,” he added.
Although advisory, the NLB plays a central role in Kenya’s labour and economic governance, including assessing employment trends, identifying training and manpower development needs, enhancing productivity across sectors, and overseeing appointments to the Industrial Court.
COFEK urged the ministry to urgently allocate adequate resources to enable the NLB to operate effectively and to convene the Board without further delay to resume decision-making on critical labour and industrial matters.
“Failure to address these issues promptly will continue to undermine industrial relations, weaken labour oversight, and adversely affect Kenya’s private sector and economic growth,” Mutoro said.
He warned that if the situation persists, COFEK may pursue legal and parliamentary interventions to safeguard the mandate of the NLB and protect the interests of both workers and employers.
The consumer lobby also asked the ministry to outline immediate, mid-term, and long-term measures being taken to resolve the matter.
