President William Ruto on Monday said his government is seeking to sign ten new bilateral agreements that will see Kenya send more workers to European, North American and Middle Eastern countries.

Addressing Kenyans during the Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, the president said most of these will go to Germany, which he said has recently been lobbying for Kenyan workers.

He said he will host the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the country later this week and sign bilateral labour agreements to that effect.

“We have very many countries asking for Kenyan workers. The German chancellor will be here on Thursday and we will sign bilateral labour agreements that will see Kenyans get opportunities in the 250 million jobs Germany has on offer every year,” said Ruto.

Among the other countries with which the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection will also ink deals are Canada and Saudi Arabia.

“We have opportunities in Canada, the USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia… we will sign ten agreements in the next couple of months so that our youth get these opportunities,” the president added.

He cited the increasing diaspora remittances from Kenyans abroad, which hit a record $4.027 billion in 2022, inching closer to exports which brought in $5.77 billion worth of foreign currency.

“The money we get every year from Kenyans in the diaspora is Ksh.400 billion. That is even more than what we get from our tea, coffee or horticulture exports,” said Ruto.

Diaspora remittances

According to Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data, Kenya earned more foreign exchange from diaspora remittances than each of its major exports (coffee, tea and horticulture) last year.

Tea, the country’s leading export, earned the country $1.2 billion, while horticulture brought in $901 million, chemicals ($521 million), coffee ($301 million) and petroleum products ($77 million).

“Many nations have built their economies by organising job opportunities for their citizens in other countries, so as we plan on creating jobs locally, we are also doing the same abroad,” President Ruto said on Monday.

But while remittances have been playing a huge part in bringing in foreign currencies, the welfare of Kenyans in the diaspora has been a major setback as reports of mistreatment of Kenyans by employers – mostly in the Middle East – continue to hit the country each year.

Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua within the first weeks of assuming office in October last year visited Saudi Arabia in a bid to address the plight of mistreated Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf State.

The Foreign Ministry in November said the CS met with the Saudi Ambassador Khalid Abdullah Alsalman to discuss the welfare of Kenyans working in Saudi Arabia.

Dr Mutua also held talks with representatives of employment agents who recruit Kenyans for jobs in the Middle Eastern country.

According to the Labour Ministry, over four million Kenyans live and work abroad, the bulk of whom are in the Middle East and Europe.

The ministry says that while about 1.2 million Kenyans join the labour market every year, the formal and informal sectors have the capacity to absorb only 800,000 annually.