NAIROBI, Kenya — Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has warned that construction sites operating without basic welfare and occupational safety facilities, including toilets, rest areas and clinics, will be shut down as the government intensifies enforcement of workplace safety regulations.
Speaking before the National Assembly, Mutua said the Ministry of Labour has strengthened the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSH) to conduct nationwide inspections targeting both public and private construction projects that fail to comply with occupational safety standards.
“I’m giving notice to construction companies all over this country that just like they do in other countries, construction sites must have toilets; they have rest areas, they have clinics, they have things that cover the occupational health of individuals,” Mutua said.
The Cabinet Secretary revealed that he has instructed ministry officials to carry out countrywide inspections and take enforcement action against contractors operating unsafe construction sites.
“I have commissioned my team to go around the country investigating and raiding construction sites and shutting them down. Just for information, we just stopped a government project that was going on somewhere in northern Kenya as a result of them not complying with these services,” he said.
Mutua emphasized that the crackdown will apply equally to government-funded and privately owned construction projects, saying compliance with occupational health and safety laws is mandatory regardless of the project’s ownership.
He also disclosed that the Cabinet has approved a memorandum aimed at strengthening compliance with occupational safety and health standards across all sectors.
“I have directed my Department of Occupational Safety and Health to inspect all projects in the country, whether private or government, to ensure that the minimum standards are put in place,” he said.
The CS said the enforcement campaign is anchored in the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2007 and the Work Injury Benefits Act, 2007, which require employers, contractors and subcontractors to provide safe and healthy working conditions for employees.
According to Mutua, the ministry has established a dedicated construction safety division under the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services to oversee compliance in the construction industry.
He added that occupational safety officers have been deployed to monitor major construction sites, while DOSH maintains offices in all 47 counties to facilitate inspections, enforcement and compliance monitoring.
The ministry said the intensified inspections are intended to reduce workplace accidents, improve the welfare of construction workers and ensure contractors adhere to national occupational safety standards.
