What do you good people of Kenya think… reference character checks need to be made mandatory for both formal and informal sector? We make a nation whose people have a concept of values, what is right or wrong.
In this nation no one can hand over a business to another person including family members due to bad behaviour, why don’t we ensure a person’s conduct is checked throughout ones career. In most countries a person cannot do a two hour house cleaning job without a reference from at least the last two jobs.
People’s conduct and behaviour is the greatest killer of Businesses and Job creation. Too often, we hear a person starts a small business, employs someone or a few people to help run it, instead of being good custodians, they steal right and left destroying the initiative, these people move on elsewhere to repeat the same or try to set themselves up with the stolen assets.
When persons are caught in corruption incidents, there reference file need to be checked to see if there was an alert that was overlooked.
There is this person who build a nice house, an outdoor work space which was installed with quality solar panels for power; the place was equipped in preparation for a home business start-up. However, within a few weeks, the trusted person, tasked with the responsibility of caretaker sold everything, beds, TV, radio, tables, beddings, gas cooker, office equipment, solar panels etc apparently items worth ½ a million sold for less than fifty thousand, the solar panel worth fifty thousand each flogged off for KSh2 000, these people then disappear, the police cannot trace them or the items, such people move on to other places and regions to take up work.
Reference checks to cover the informal sectors; domestic workers, shop workers, market stall workers, hair saloon, drivers, touts, farm workers, etc. and formal sector, the office workers.
Lets see an Example - Mr Odhiambo employs a milk man, who regularly steals some of the milk and eggs to sell, when caught he is sacked. He travels a few miles away, finds work over at Mr Kibet’s, the quantity of his milk declines, twenty of his chicken are stolen, the worker has formed friendship with the neighbourhood idlers, he becomes the insider to Mr Kibet’s boma.
The worker does no wait to be caught, he voluntarily moves on and finds work across the county, at Mr Kamau’s farm, in a few months, two of his priced cows are stolen, Mrs Kamau notices her avocado trees are receiving a visitor, she cannot understand who and when her fruits are getting picked.
Good people; if Mr Kibet had obtained a reference from Mr Odhiambo the chain of events would be contained. Such workers would know their goose is cooked, change or go hungry.
An Employment legislation to ensuring that all references must be fair and accurate.