Safeguarding fair labour practices to weather the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jane Akinyi Onyango, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

Confirmation of Kenya’s first COVID 19 case in March, this year, marked the beginning of the economy’s downward trend. What followed were stringent measures by the government to curb the spread of the virus. Notably, the stay at home order introduced a new paradigm on the employee-employer relationship.

Other notable measures include the 7 pm to 5 am curfew and lockdown of five counties namely Nairobi Metropolitan, Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, and Mandera. While the measures were meant to curb the spread of the disease, it also affected the employer-employee relationship.