An opinion piece in The Standard (12 May 2026) by Bruno M. Otiato, submitted to the Senate committee reviewing the AI Bill 2026, argues the Bill falls “significantly short in the protection of workers.” The analysis identifies three structural gaps: (1) the proposed Advisory Committee excludes trade unions — specifically COTU — in violation of ILO Convention 144 tripartism principles; (2) workforce impact assessment obligations are “largely procedural,” with no binding requirement for employers to prevent job losses, compensate displaced workers, or fund reskilling; (3) the Bill relies on a traditional employment definition that excludes Kenya’s large gig and platform workforce. The author notes that algorithm-managed workers (ride-hailing, delivery, content moderation, data annotation) have no meaningful recourse under the proposed framework. The article was published during the public submission period (open until 5 May 2026) and calls on the Senate to mandate worker representation in AI governance and extend protections to informal and gig workers before the Bill is enacted.
No enacted changes; item reflects civil society discourse during the legislative process. Kenya’s dim 9 score remains 0 as no worker rights in AI employment decisions are yet law.