Kenyan Bill proposes three more maternity leave months

                       

                           Buuri MP Kinoti Gatobu in Meru town

Working mothers could spend at least six months with their newborns if an amendment to the Employment Act that seeks to increase maternity leave is adopted.

Buuri MP Kinoti Gatobu is proposing the law to provide for an option to extend maternity leave by another three months without pay.

Currently, a female employee is entitled to three fully-paid maternity leave on top of their statutory annual leave.

“The current provision is three months maternity leave therefore an extension of three months maternity leave will be in conformity with international best practices,” the amendment says.

Proponents of maternity policy terms reckon it will help in the recruitment and retention of women at the work place.

The International Labour Organization Maternity Protection Convention recommends maternity leave for at least 18 weeks or four and a half months.