"EABL new mums to get 6-month maternity leave"

Female employees of beer maker East African Breweries Limited could get up to six months paid maternity leave in line with the British parent company Diageo’s global policy for its workers. The policy, which offers one of the most generous packages for working parents, is expected to go live from July 1. EABL Monday announced that it had started rolling out the enhanced benefit for both its male and female employees in the region as part of its campaign “to create a fully inclusive and diverse workforce”.

The new policy will give both mothers and fathers prolonged periods of paid parental leave, regardless of how long they have worked at the company. “The full details of each country-specific policy, application to non-wholly owned subsidiaries, and the timing of its roll-out will be shared in due course and is subject to local legal, board and regulatory requirements,” said Diageo in a statement...EABL, which had 1,591 employees as at end of June last year, has already announced its plans to offer similar benefits to its employees. “The new policy offers female employees in EABL a minimum of 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave,” EABL said in a statement to Business Daily Monday. “EABL is also setting a global minimum standard of four weeks paternity leave on full rate of pay in all markets”. The move is expected to give workers enough time to take care of their young families as they continue to thrive at work.

Kenya’s law currently allows a fully paid, three-month maternity leave and a two-week paternity break for fathers. Many companies frown upon these breaks, viewing them as an additional labour cost that sometimes forces them to hire temporary workers.