In Kenya, a recruitment campaign for workers destined for Saudi Arabia began on Friday, December 6. Nearly a thousand Kenyans are invited to apply to become drivers or babysitters. It is the Kenyan Ministry of Labor which promotes these recruitments. They come three weeks after the government announced the review of its labor agreements with the Gulf countries.
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With our correspondent in Nairobi, Gaëlle Laleix
“ Looking for childcare. Female candidates only. Be clean, well dressed, intelligent with an excellent level of English »: this announcement was made by the Kenyan Minister of Labor, Aden Duale, who posted it himself on his X profile. Export of labor is part of the strategy of William Rutoto fight against unemployment. The Kenyan president has promised to send 5,000 workers per week abroad.
The Gulf, destination of choice
The Gulf countries, with a high demand for low-skilled labor, represent a destination of choice. According to the Ministry of Labor, in 2022, Kenyan workers in this region sent almost $31 million home.
But the question of their working conditions arises. A report from the Commission on Administrative Justice, published in 2023, highlights numerous abuses: exploitation, confiscation of passports, violence, rape, etc. Between 2019 and 2021, 90 Kenyans died in the Gulf countries and nearly 2,000 distress calls were recorded. The Commission on Administrative Justice therefore calls for better legal supervision. A bill on migrant labor has been pending in Parliament for more than two years.
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