CS Mutua advertised jobs in Qatar but he only made Kenyans angry

Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has been on the receiving end of backlash from the public following his advertisement of job opportunities from a Qatari-based company.

Much like his boss, President William Ruto, CS Mutua has been an advocate for exporting local labour to foreign countries to reduce the unemployment rate in Kenya which stands at 12.7 per cent.

In this particular instance, he posted on his social media platform about a Qatari company whose officials are in Nairobi to source for skilled personnel in various fields.

The jobs are based on two major industries; hospitality and service, as well as construction and technical roles.

Jobs in the hospitality industry range from nurses, kitchen helpers, runners, kids attendants, hotel maintenance technicians, light vehicle drivers, waitresses, stewarding supervisors among others.

On the other hand, jobs in the construction industry comprise construction helpers, electricians, masons, plumbers, tile layers, steel fixers, painters, store keepers and welders among others.

The interviews are set to commence on Friday, October 25, and conclude on Sunday, October 27. 

"Please ensure you are familiar with your industry and job duties. Only candidates for the listed job openings will be allowed entry," Mutua said.

"No fee will be charged to be interviewed or considered. Once hired, you will be given requirements for medical, visa processing etc, air ticket and other travel modalities will be provided free of charge."

After posting the details of the job opportunities, the CS posted his photo with the tagline "Mbele iko sawa."

The post did not, however, sit well with majority of Kenyans who questioned the government's obsession with exporting labour to international countries instead of creating a conducive business environment in the country.

"Why don't you create industries or a conducive business environment to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by the youth which in turn creates jobs locally??" read one comment online. 

Another posed: "Are you yourself proud of the kind of jobs a whole government ministry is negotiating for Kenyans?"

Others also questioned whether the CS's social media handles had turned into a recruitment agency platform.

"Has the Ministry ensured that workers to be recruited will be covered by mandatory retirement contributions and a bilateral agreement with Qatar to protect their pension rights? Will the workers be informed of their entitlements and is there a system in place to monitor compliance?" Asked one X user.

Another said: "Bwana Waziri, we don't have a job crisis in Kenya, we have a crisis in the dead or non-existent manufacturing sector. The government should revive the manufacturing and mining sectors to push manufacturing to GDP to 40 per cent. If we achieve this, we deal with unemployment in Kenya."

The President rode to power in 2022 on lofty promises of creating millions of job opportunities for the common mwananchi and bringing down the cost of living. 

After two years in office, the President has embarked on numerous foreign travels in a bid to secure jobs and also established the Affordable Housing program in an attempt to solve the country's unemployment hurdle. 

This, however, remains to be a tall order as majority of Kenyans have called out the Kenya Kwanza administration for excess taxes and high cost of living which has created an economic crisis and stifled businesses from thriving.

Why don't you create industries or a conducive business environment to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by the youth which in turn creates jobs locally??

Why don't you create industries or a conducive business environment to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by the youth which in turn creates jobs locally??

Why don't you create industries or a conducive business environment to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by the youth which in turn creates jobs locally??— Nyongesa J. Wanyonyi (@nyongesahj) October 24, 2024