THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONNEL AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN KENYA BY EDWARD MURATHI AIVERU A Thesis submitted in part fulfilment of the r~quiremellts of the degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS AND ADMINIST~~TION ln the Faculty of Commerce.University of Nairobi May 1975,
iv SlJ1vfMARY OF TEEns CO:-!TENTS T'h i s thesis exam i nr-s Lhe de ve Lopmerrt of p=rsonnc l ano inr;'j<:trial relations in KenyCl since the country \Vas introduced to internationcll c<l.pitaljsm through British colonicllism. As the external employment environment greatly influences the personne l po l i c i r-a adopted by the various employers, a historical analysis of the processes that have structured this external environment op0n~ the discussion. It is argued that Britain exported her unemployed to Kenya and sirnu Itaneously effected a systematic disruption of the indigenous economies thus sowing the seeds of unemployment for the local population. Extensive land alienation and the concomittant forced labour policies were the initial techniques used to disrupt the local economies. Moreover, taxation policies coupled Hith creation of new wants 'vlorkedto disrupt the indigenous economies. In later colonial period the~e was little need for resorting to force to acquire labour since already landlessness and other factors had ens~red a more or less stable labour force. -, Yet, employment opportunities 1n the modern sector later proved incapable of meeting the increased demand for wage-labq~r, and by the time of independence, unemployment had become a maior threat to the nascent national bourgeoisie. The point to ~mphasisc is that the degree of dislocation of the indigenous economies by far surpassed the creation- of alternative employment opportunities in the modern sector, and this by definition resulted in \memployment. Harsh treatment of African 'vlorh~rsby the employers was ins ri t o- tionalised. For instance, payment by race characterised both the public and the private sector.' The Europeans and Asians enjoyed the best remuneration while Africans were the least paid even if they did the same type of work as members of the privileged races.
v Surpri singly, this ~i s,frimination b~i~g?ractised by some firms.!..j in remuneration is p r-o b.rb l v The Fo liow i nq factors largely explain the unemployment pr-ob l'~'ns in Kenya at the moment. First, the unbridled concentration of the instruments of production (including land) in a f'ew hand s renders a significant portion of the increasing population 'm('mployed since paid employment opportunities are inadeq1.l.otc. SeconcJly, the heavy reliance on foreign investors \olhichstartprj as soon as Kenya boc ame a Br i ti sh colony and has been per pr-r'1ared into the post-colonial period results in fe\-!employment opportunities being created since these investors prefer to use labour saving technologies probably due to the uncertainty of the political future of the country. Thirdly competi tion be twe en foreign and local investors has played some part in creating unemployment. In the de jure colonial era, Africans were not allowed to participate in commercial agriculture or small businesses in towns since their participation in such ac t i vi ties wou l.d have meant diminution of labour suppli es to the f or-ei qn-eowned moder-n sector. Today, some foreign-mmed companies invol ve t hems eives in economic acti vi ties whi.ch Africans could otherwise benefit from. Finally, foreign companies ensure that the nationals of their countries of orig.in dominate top management positions. As IIesseling has observed, in key managerial positions abroad expatriate manage:s are over-represented. a This is particularly evident in Kenya. Thus employment opportuni ties wh i ch could otherwise have been open to Afri~c:ns are occupied by foreigners most of whom are of European and North American origin. In this b respect Kenya is still largely the "Hhite Man's Country". If '\Iesseling, P., "Orgwisational Behaviour and Culture: The Case of Multinational Enterprise," Assen: 1971, p.8 btitle of a book by Huxley, E. published in London in 1935 in two volumes.
vi it is possible to justify engaging forei.gners in t-he f.r~chnica] jobs where local skills are scarce, it is hardly easy to see why general management positions in the private sector should be occupied by expatriates except in terms of the Engllsh saying that whoever pays the pi per calls the tune. The acute unemployment problem in Kenya has meant that co~petition for the f'ew paid employment opportunities that exist is stiff ann the implications of this situation on personnel ann industrial relations have been discussed thoroughly particularly in C;:haptersII, III and IV. Such undesirable features as favonritism in recruitment and other personnel matters are manifestations of the pandemic unemployment in the country. The multi-racial and multi-tribal composition of the Kenyan society just aggravates the problem of irregularities in personnel administration. So too, the generally unsatisfactory industrial relations in the country are reflective of an economy w i th an over supply of labour since employers can easily substi tute wor-kers, Under these circumstances, the possibility of even the most minimal workers' participation in managerial functions is remote. Workers' participation in management is taken to mean that those below the top of a production unit's hierarchy take part in the managerial functions of the enterprise. Thus, they structure their work situation by determining the tasks that are to be <lone, the conditions and. terms under Hhich they are carrieo out, and the compensation offered in return for work performed. It is argued that the property-relationships that exist in the country put sharp limits to sound workers' participation. The two c ase st ud i es in the thesis, illustrate selected personnel and industrial relations~policy areas. These case studies are based on research conducted in two private firms - one engaged in the engineering trade and the other in the textile trade. Such aspects of personnel management as recruitment,
vii training, promotion and the like have been discussed. So too, un i on i sm, ',rages,manaqemen t styles, and external influences on each of the two firms have been considered. Significant differences be tween the policies Fo llowed by the two firms have been given tentative explanations. Reading through the case studies, it vrillbe apparent that the allegations made against some practices such as favouritism in personnel selection and resistance by private companies to Africanise certain positions may be jus tifj ed The theme of wor-ker-s" participation in management has been pursued in the final chapter and the conclusion reached is that vlorkers' participation is not possible i.n the absence of social ovner-shi p of the instruments of production. In the Kenyan context, this means a complete overhaul of the present property relationships. :