Gov't to launch overseas job recruitment targeting over 20K Kenyans - CS Mutua

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has launched an ambitious national job recruitment program aimed at connecting skilled and semi-skilled Kenyans with overseas employment opportunities.

Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua, says the initiative is set to begin on Wednesday in Machakos County and will roll out across at least 20 counties before the end of the year.

This initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to place at least one million Kenyans in overseas jobs annually, in efforts to boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

The government says the program’s first phase will place about 21,000 Kenyans in overseas jobs. The workers will be sourced from all regions across the country.

“The idea is that we are dividing every county equally so that each county gets equal numbers depending on the type of skills that are there,” said Mutua.

Job opportunities span across countries like Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Germany.

The jobs include roles such as housekeepers, car wash attendants, cleaners, drivers, and other semi-skilled professions.

The government says the salaries will range from a take-home of Ksh.40,000 to as high as Ksh.1 million, depending on the job and location.

The interviews are free of charge, but some workers may be required to pay processing fees.

CS Mutua says the government is working with a line-up of financial institutions to provide credit facilities.

“For example some countries say, get me somebody for this position but get them to me here. So that means you have to figure out how to get that person there. And you can’t put them on a bodaboda, they have to fly,” the CS said.

Asked about the safety of these workers, the CS said, “We have over 3 million Kenyans currently abroad. The challenges that you find affect less than 0.1 per cent of Kenyans who are overseas. We cannot say that Kenyans cannot travel overseas because wachache wamepata shida. We also need to realise that hakuna mahali hakuna shida.”

The government is encouraging eligible citizens to show up for the interviews, underscoring its commitment to tackling unemployment.