The Kenyan Members of Parliament have been debating a motion to have the government waive the fees paid by job seekers for various clearance documents required by many employers.
Faith Gitau, Nyandarua Woman Representative, sponsored the motion and wants the government to increase the pace of creating the National Employment Authority.
Ms Gitau said the fees paid for a certificate of good conduct, integrity certificate, credit reference bureau clearance, loan clearance, and tax compliance certificate are prohibitive to job seekers because they cost them Sh4,500.
“Punishing young people for being unemployed should be vehemently opposed by this House. For example, when the government requires being paid for a certificate of good conduct, it seems like the government is punishing the youth for not having a criminal record,” Ms Gitau said as she kick-started the debate.
Furthermore, she said the requirement to obtain a clearance certificate from the Credit Reference Bureau is unfair to those who live outside Nairobi and have to travel all the way to acquire the document. She also said the requirement to obtain a HELB clearance certificate indicates that the government is not entirely aware of those who borrowed loans to fund their education. Therefore, Ms Gitau is against the discriminatory effect these requirements bring.
The documents are issued by different bodies such as the Higher Education Loan Board (HELB), Directorate Criminal Investigations, the Credit Reference Bureau, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
