As Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection, Florence Chepng’etich Koske-Bore has a lot on her hands.
From tackling issues affecting Kenyan workers in the Middle East to quelling protests in tea estates over the use of plucking machines and explaining the delay in remitting cash transfers to the elderly and vulnerable members of society, Ms Bore surely has more to grapple with than a dispute over her occupation of a house in the leafy estate of Karen with Gatanga MP Edward Muriu.
The house in Amara Ridge was the scene of the altercation between a contractor allegedly sent by the legislator to carry out renovations and police officers.
Ms Bore eventually moved out, saying Mr Muriu refunded her the 10 percent downpayment she had made to purchase the Sh120 million house.
“Yes, I moved out at night because I was at work during the day. I searched for another house and within an hour, I had a new home,” Ms Bore told a press conference last Thursday.
10 percent deposit
The former secondary school teacher said that she had signed an agreement for the purchase of the house from the MP and moved in after depositing the 10 percent.
“It was a willing buyer, willing seller deal. I signed the agreement- at least on my part as a show of commitment,” she said.
In an earlier statement, Ms Bore claimed that there was an agreement for her to occupy the house as she sought a mortgage to clear the balance within 90 days.
She further claimed that the seller breached the agreement and tried to evict her children from the property just 30 days into the agreement, claims that were contested by the MP.
Born on January 10, 1970 in Kericho County, Ms Bore holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Moi University, and a diploma in Education from Kagumo Teacher’s College.
She attended Kipsigis Girls High School for her secondary education.
Before she was bitten by the political bug, Ms Bore had taught in various schools, rising to be the deputy principal at Toror Girls Secondary School between 2011 and 2012.
She served as a board director of Geothermal Development Company from 2015 to 2017, and an education director in Bomet County between 2015 and 2017.
Ms Bore was Kericho Woman Representative from 2017 and 2022.
During her parliamentary vetting for the job as a Cabinet Secretary in October last year, she told the Committee on Appointments that she was worth about Sh200 million, sourced mainly from her family’s tea and dairy farm and dividends from various savings and credit co-operative societies (saccos).
She said that she would be keen on promoting a saving culture, as championed by President William Ruto, among workers to meet the International Labour Organisation standards within the next four years.
She made light of her being in the limelight over the Karen house dispute last week to flank Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua when he released Sh16.7 billion to be disbursed to a total of 1.07 million orphans and vulnerable children, the elderly and persons leaving with disabilities.
The cash transfer programme known as Inua Jamii provides a bimonthly stipend to lift beneficiaries out of poverty and vulnerability.
Ms Bore is on record saying that the State spends more than Sh20 billion annually on social protection programmes and there were plans to expand them with the support of development partners.
The elderly population, she said, continues to grapple with a lack of income security, inadequate health services and a deteriorating environment.
In addition to the stipend, the Cabinet Secretary promised to push for 100 percent National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) coverage for senior citizens within three years.
She has in the past also promised to deal with the issue of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, one Kenya’s fastest-growing sources of remittances.
In January, she was in Riyadh to discuss the framework under which professionals will be recruited in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia is key in labour migration, with more than 80,000 domestic workers securing employment in 2022.
The talks with representatives from the Kingdom focused on existing opportunities for strengthening labour migration systems among the two countries, including understanding the labour migration policy and legal context in Saudi Arabia.
Kenyans working and living in Saudi Arabia wired home $302.26 million (Sh37.78 billion) last year compared with $185.01 million (Sh23.12 billion) in 2021, according to Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data.
Diaspora inflows
The 63.38 percent jump in diaspora inflows from the oil-rich country bucked a trend of reduced overall remittances as major economies across the world battled runaway inflation that squeezed household budgets.
Kenyans abroad typically send money to help their families offset bills like school fees and medical expenses as well as invest in projects like real estate.
Ms Bore together with her Foreign Affairs counterpart, Alfred Mutua, have to deal with the issue of working conditions for Kenyans in the Middle East.
The Labour Cabinet Secretary has promised to establish safe houses for those in distress and employ more labour attaches to handle migrant workers' welfare in Saudi Arabia. The current official handles more than 210,000 Kenyans.
She also undertook to streamline the National Employment Authority to promote regulations of the agencies that take people to Saudi Arabia, relook the committee that approves agencies and promote mandatory pre-departure training on basics such as their roles and Saudi Arabia culture.
Rogue recruitment agencies have been blamed for the rampant exploitation of workers.
