Government is planning to set up a Maternity Insurance Scheme as a way of reducing the costs incurred by companies when their employees take maternity leave.

According to the Minister of Public Service, Anastase Murekezi, private companies and government agencies have been spending a lot of money on their employees who go on maternity leave.

Under the newly promulgated Labour Law, mothers on maternity leave earn 100 percent of their salary for the first 6 weeks, but are only entitled to 20 percent of their incomes for the remaining six weeks.

It is under this arrangement that an insurance scheme is to be introduced which covers part of the salary that mothers will not be getting from their employers.

"The proposal has been passed and the Ministry of Finance in partnership with the Ministry of Public Service are currently drafting a bill that will set up the scheme,” said Murekezi.

He added that details of the scheme will be incorporated in the draft bill.  If approved, the scheme will operate under, the Social Security Fund of Rwanda (CSR).

"The scheme will operate in a way that both employees and employers contribute to this pool which will be managed by CSR. It is proposed that employees contribute 1.5 percent of their gross salary to the fund while the employers will top it up with 0.5 percent,” said Daniel Kayonga, the Communications Director at CSR.

He however hastened to add that the figure is subject to change because consultations are still going on.

"Some of the benefits that will come with the scheme include curbing of discrimination to which women have been subjected, especially in the private sector, where some employers have been reluctant to employ expectant mothers,” he said.

Explaining how the fund will operate, Kayonga explained that after giving birth, the mothers will be getting their full salaries from CSR, for the period of their maternity leave.

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