No More Clearance Certificates for Job Seekers, Senators Say

In a move that could see job seekers across the country breathe a sigh of relief, senators have decided to back nominated senator Isaac Mwaura’s petition to do away with clearance certificates as a prerequisite for getting a job.

The decision comes at a time when the country’s workforce is filled with individuals without the necessary skills while the professionals are jobless.

According to Mwaura, many Kenyan youths seeking recruitment can barely afford the costs of the various certificates required after they leave college.

The senators in unison voiced Mwaura’s petition and agreed that the government should scrap those documents that attract fees of not less than 1,000 shillings. They argued that these requirements are discriminative especially to the countless youths without jobs.

Among the documents, the senators want to be done with include the certificate of good conduct, clearances from Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB), and the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) clearance form.

The cumulative cost of these certificates stands at approximately 6,000 shillings, which begs the question if an individual is desperately looking for a job to get money, where will he or she get that amount?

The certificates are a burden to the parents as well considering how they have struggled to see their children get through college.

According to Senator Christopher Langat of Bomet, there is no need of worsening the already sorry situation the youth are going through currently. He said that the youth already face enough problems and the documents only seek to make it harder.

“The levies imposed is evidence of the government’s apathetic approach to issues affecting the youth,” said Johnson Sakaja, the Nairobi senator.