The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection was established following the reorganization of Government in May, 2016. The Ministry has two State Departments; Labour and Social Protection. The two State Departments have existed in various forms since independence in 1963. They were under the then Ministry of East African Community, Labour and Social Service, prior to the reorganization of Government in 2016.

Executive Order No. 1 of 2018 (Revised) on Organization of the Government of Kenya placed the following departments under the Ministry: Department of Labour; Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS); Office of the Registrar of Trade Unions; National Productivity and Competitiveness Centre (NPCC); Department of National Human Resource Planning and Development (NHRPD); Department of Social Development; Department of Children Services; National Social Protection Secretariat (NSPS); and Social Assistance Unit (SAU).

The Ministry has one Autonomous Government Agency (AGA), the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and five Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) namely: National Industrial Training Authority (NITA); National Employment Authority (NEA); National Council for Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD; National Council for Children Services (NCCS); and Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK). The gazetted entities under the Ministry are: National Labour Board; National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH); Steering Committee on Child Adoption in Kenya; National Assistance Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons; Advisory Committee for Counter Trafficking in Persons; and the Street Families Trust Fund (SFTF).

Mandate:

Executive Order No. 1 of 2018 (Revised) on Organization of the Government of the Republic of Kenya gives the mandates of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection as follows:

• National Labour and Employment Policy Management;
• Industrial Training;
• National Labour Productivity and Competitiveness;
• National Human Resource Planning and Development;
• Child Labour Policy and Regulations Management;
• Develop and Maintain a Database on Employment Creation;
• Migratory Labour and International Jobs policy;
• Workplace Inspection;
• Workman’s Compensation Policy;
• Promotion of Occupational Health and Safety at Work;
• Industrial Relations Management;
• Social Protection Policy;
• Policy and Programmes for Persons with Disabilities;
• Vocational Training and Rehabilitation of Persons With Disabilities;
• National Volunteerism Policy;
• Policy and programmes for Older Persons;
• Management of Statutory Children’s Institutions;
• Social Protection Policy and Programme Implementation;
• Community Development Policy;
• Community mobilization;
• Registration of Self-Help Groups;
• Protection and Advocacy of Needs of Persons with Disabilities;
• Social Assistance Programmes;
• Family Protection Policy;
• Policies on Children and Social Development;
• Counter Trafficking in Persons;
• Children Welfare and Penal Protection; and
• Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund.

Government Of Kenya

Parliament of Kenya