Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection Alfred Mutua came under sustained scrutiny in the Senate after lawmakers pressed him over the death of a worker at the Talanta Stadium construction site, labour rights violations, workplace safety, disability inclusion, hearing rehabilitation services and the implementation of Government social protection programmes.
The session was dominated by tough questions over the Ministry’s enforcement of labour laws, with senators demanding accountability over the fatal workplace accident and the welfare of workers at one of the Government’s flagship infrastructure projects.
Responding to a question by Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo regarding the death of a worker at the Talanta Stadium construction project, Mutua acknowledged that Ministry inspections uncovered multiple breaches of labour laws by the contractor, including the underpayment of workers.
The Cabinet Secretary told senators that the Ministry had conducted inspections at the site and subsequently issued compliance directives in December 2025 after establishing that workers had been underpaid.
“The contractor was issued with compliance directives in December 2025 requiring the payment of all underpayment arrears owed to the deceased worker and other employees.”
Mutua further admitted that despite the Ministry’s intervention, the contractor ignored the directives, forcing the Government to initiate legal action.
“After the contractor failed to comply, the Ministry issued a notice of intended prosecution and is preparing a case file for referral to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to facilitate enforcement of the law and recovery of the outstanding arrears.”
His admission raised questions over the effectiveness of the Ministry’s enforcement mechanisms, particularly after a worker had already lost his life while labour violations remained unresolved.
The Cabinet Secretary was also questioned over allegations of delayed and unpaid salaries at the Talanta Stadium project. However, he maintained that the Ministry had not received formal complaints from workers regarding salary delays.
He explained that labour officers stationed across all the 47 counties, including two labour offices in Nairobi, are mandated to receive and address complaints relating to unpaid wages and other labour disputes.
Seeking to assure senators that the Government was tightening oversight of the construction sector, Mutua outlined measures introduced to improve occupational safety and health compliance.
He said the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services had established a dedicated Construction Safety Division to oversee compliance on major projects through routine inspections, while all construction sites are required to undergo mandatory registration before operations begin.
On compensation for families of workers who die in the course of employment, Mutua said the Work Injury Benefits Act, 2007 provides compensation to workers or their dependants in cases involving work-related injuries, occupational diseases and fatalities.
He explained that employers are legally required to report workplace accidents to the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services, which assesses each case before determining and awarding compensation to eligible dependants.
The Cabinet Secretary also faced questions from Senator Catherine Mumma on access to hearing rehabilitation services and affordable assistive devices for persons living with hearing disabilities.
Mutua told the Senate that, according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, 153,381 persons aged five years and above reported significant hearing difficulties.
He clarified that the figures represent functional hearing challenges rather than clinically diagnosed hearing loss.
On the availability of rehabilitation services, Mutua distanced his Ministry from the responsibility of maintaining patient records.
“Information on the number of persons currently receiving hearing rehabilitation services in public health facilities falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Health, which maintains clinical records and patient registries for ear and hearing care services.”
The Labour Cabinet Secretary was further questioned by Senator Joyce Korir over the implementation and sustainability of Government social protection programmes.
He said that as of March 2026, the Inua Jamii programme had supported 1,149,181 older persons and 63,958 persons with severe disabilities, bringing the total number of beneficiaries under the two cash transfer programmes to 1,213,139.
Mutua further highlighted disability inclusion initiatives undertaken by the Government, including economic empowerment programmes, Kenya Sign Language training for public officers, education scholarships for learners with disabilities and autism support programmes.
He said 375 public officers were trained in Kenya Sign Language during the last financial year, while 3,045 learners with disabilities benefited from education scholarships.
He added that more than 10,000 persons with autism received therapy services during the current financial year alongside support through medication and essential supplies.
On the financing of social protection programmes, Mutua told senators that more than Sh63.9 billion had been disbursed to beneficiaries under the Older Persons Cash Transfer Programme over the last three financial years, while the Persons with Severe Disabilities Cash Transfer Programme received more than Sh3.2 billion during the same period.
He explained that the Social Protection Act, 2025 provides for periodic review and indexation of social assistance benefits in consultation with the National Treasury to reflect changing socio-economic conditions.
However, Mutua admitted that the Government had prioritised increasing the number of beneficiaries instead of raising the value of individual cash transfers.
The Cabinet Secretary also updated senators on the status of the national Social Protection Register, stating that the Enhanced Single Registry currently contains records of approximately 4.4 million households, representing more than 17.6 million individuals.
He said that although the registry underwent a comprehensive update in 2024, it continues to be reviewed through ongoing on-demand update mechanisms aimed at improving its accuracy and integrity.
Throughout the session, senators repeatedly pressed the Labour Cabinet Secretary to explain why labour violations persisted at major Government-funded projects despite existing oversight structures, with the Talanta Stadium worker’s death and the Ministry’s own findings on underpayment emerging as the sharpest points of concern.
