Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1992, published 79th ILC session (1992)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Kenya (Ratification: 1964)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report as well as the annual reports of the labour inspection services for 1989 and 1990. The Committee also notes with interest the information provided concerning the activities of a technical cooperation project, "Implementation of International Labour Standards: ILO Conventions Nos. 81, 129, 144 and 150; and Recommendations Nos. 81, 82, 133, 152 and 158", executed by the ILO, in the light of which it would make the following comments:

Article 21. For a number of years the Committee has commented that the Government's annual reports have not included statistics of occupational diseases (point (g)). This is the case also for the 1989 and 1990 reports most recently received. The Committee notes that the 1989 and 1990 reports similarly do not indicate the number of workplaces liable to inspection and the number of workers employed therein (point (c)); further, the 1989 report provides statistics of penalties imposed for violations (point (e)), but the 1990 report does not. As the Committee has pointed out in the past, publication of an annual inspection report is required by the Convention because such a report provides a mechanism for monitoring and improving essential inspection activities. While the Committee notes that the Government has provided annual reports with useful information, it hopes that measures can be taken (and in particular with the cooperation of the ILO project) to ensure that each specific requirement of this Article is met.

Article 11, paragraph 1(b), and Article 16. The Committee notes that a number of motorbikes are being provided by the ILO project to improve mobility of inspectors. Please describe the impact of this on the frequency of inspection visits.

The Committee would also be grateful if the Government would provide with its next report information on how particular activities of the ILO project, beyond generally providing training to staff of the inspectorate, are improving implementation of specific provisions of the Convention by, for example, setting up a system, including necessary regulations, for notification of occupational diseases (Article 14); improving reporting methods (Article 19); improving relations with and increasing contact between employers' and workers' organisations (Article 5); promoting the appointment of women inspectors (Article 8); or establishing a system for counting establishments subject to inspection and workers employed therein (Article 21(c)).