Govt Interns to Be Fired If They Miss Work for 24 Hours
Govt Interns to Be Fired If They Miss Work for 24 Hours
Govt Interns to Be Fired If They Miss Work for 24 Hours
Lesuuda Josephine Naisula, the Member of Parliament for Samburu West, brought the Public Service Internship Bill up for discussion in the House on Wednesday, June 12.
The purpose of the bill is to create a legal framework that will govern internship programs in the public sector.
Graduates enrolled in the government internship program risk being dismissed if they miss more than 24 hours of work without authorization.
According to a portion of the bill, “an internship period shall be valid for any period as may be determined by a person in charge of a public service institution, but such internship period shall not exceed 12 months.”
“An intern shall be liable to have his or her internship discontinued on the grounds of absence from the public service institution without permission or reasonable cause for a period exceeding 24 hours.”
An intern can also be dismissed due to gross or disorderly conduct as well as posting unsatisfactory performance.
Other grounds for dismissal include; failure to obey any lawful instructions or commission of a criminal offence.
“An intern may terminate internship by submitting a thirty days’ notice in writing to the person in charge of the public service institution,” the Bill further provides.
According to the proposals made by MP Lesuuda, the intern during the 12-month-long program will be provided with a monthly stipend and insurance.
The lawmaker pointed out that the interns’ professional abilities as apprentices add to the organization’s workforce, therefore the monthly stipend—which will be decided by the Ministry of Public Service—is essential.
Lesuuda expressed remorse on the House floor in 2013 over a policy and directive that stated interns would get a stipend that mostly depended on the generosity of the ruling administration.
The MP continued by saying that future talks will focus on involving the business sector to guarantee that interns employed there are compensated.
