Why you will no longer need clearance certificates when looking for jobs

Nominated MP Gideon Keter. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The National Assembly on Wednesday unanimously supported the Employment Amendment Bill, paving way for graduates to seek employment without producing clearance certificates from State agencies.

Jubilee Nominated MP and the sponsor of the Bill Gideon Keter stated that an employer shall "no longer perceive job seekers as criminals" before applying for a job.

“An employer will no longer ask job seekers for documents such as Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), DCI, Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) until or unless an offer of employment is guaranteed,” Keter said in a statement on Thursday.

The lawmaker said job-seeking should not be an adventure, where job seekers must prove that they are not criminals, or haven’t engaged in any crime in the past. “This country is not graduating criminals from universities and colleges every year,” he argued.

He claimed that research done by the Parliamentary Budget Office revealed that public institutions have been receiving over Sh750 million annually in clearance certificate fees.

“Public-funded institutions should never be cash cows,” the Youth representative said.

Keter advised that employers should, instead, offer graduates employment first before asking them to produce documentation.

The Bill seeks to amend Section 9 of the Employment Act, 2011 aimed at reducing costs incurred by graduates while job seeking.

Clearance certificates in Kenya cost job seekers an upward of Sh5,000 and are renewable annually for Sh1,000 including the good conduct and HELB compliance certificate.