Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua on Friday, November 15, 2024, announced a nationwide recruitment drive aimed at providing Kenyans with jobs abroad.
The CS said the program would begin on November 20, 2024, and will cover all 47 counties. He also reported the successes of a recent Qatari initiative which saw over 3,000 Kenyans selected for various positions. Mutua added that 1500 of them have already received their offer letters and will travel soon.
"During the first phase of the Qatar initiative, 3,247 Kenyans were selected out of the 8,000 available positions. I am pleased to report that nearly 1,500 of them have already received their offer letters and are finalizing their travel documentation," he stated.
"We expect all successful candidates to depart in the coming weeks to begin their careers," he added.
Mutua noted that a multi-agency team will be put in place to ensure that every Kenyan has an equal chance at getting employment.
“To ensure this recruitment drive is accessible to all, we are working closely with the National Employment Agency (NEA), the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), and licensed recruitment agencies,” he stated.
Furthermore, Mutua disclosed that the recruitment activities will take place at county headquarters and TVET institutions. To further streamline the process, Mutua stated that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) will be on-site to facilitate fingerprinting for certificates of good conduct, while immigration officials will assist with preliminary passport applications.
The recruitment drive is in line with the government’s plan to send one million Kenyan workers abroad every year as part of Kenya Kwanza’s labour export program.
The new development comes after the government announced Qatar job opportunities that attracted a multitude of Kenyans. Interviews for the jobs took place from October 25 to October 27 2024 at the Kabete National Polytechnic.
Among the job opportunities advertised by the ministry were in the fields of hospitality and medicine. Professionals such as nurses, demi chefs, chef de partie, kitchen helpers, bar backs, runners, waitresses, stewarding supervisors, and kids' attendants are actively being sought after.
Kenyans were also urged to apply for building and construction positions such as hotel maintenance technicians, vehicle drivers, rigger signalmen, construction helpers, cleaners, storekeepers, electricians, plumbers, masons, tile layers, steel fixers, painters and welders. By
