The government, through the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, has issued a statement clarifying the contentious question of whether 250,000 Kenyans could land jobs in Germany.
Through a statement on Sunday, September 15, the government said that while there was a labour deal with Germany, there was no limit on the minimum or maximum number of job seekers who could land employment in the European nation.
“Unlike traditional quota-based bilateral labour agreements, this new agreement focusses on creating a framework for matching Kenyan talent to German labour needs,” the statement shared by PS Roselyn Njogu read in part
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the number of Kenyans who could travel abroad was largely dependent on qualification for existing opportunities.
President William Ruto (center) his deputy Rigathi Gachagua (left) nd PCS Musalia Mudavadi at State House.
PCS
The latest statement came barely a day after the German Interior Ministry openly refuted claims that Kenya had secured a deal with an exact number of jobs for its citizens.
The German government clarified that while there was a labour deal with Kenya, qualified candidates would still have to go through a rigorous shortlisting process that fulfills requirements as per Germany’s Immigration Act.
Furthermore, the German Interior Ministry refuted claims that a specific number of Kenyans would secure employment abroad.
President William Ruto has been at the forefront of championing a framework for cooperation between Kenya and Germany and oversaw the signing of a Comprehensive Agreement on Sharing of Labour, Talent and Mobility.
After his two-day tour to the European economic powerhouse, Ruto signed a labour mobility agreement with Germany and revealed the recruitment exercise could start as early as September 27.
“When I announced that we would have a chance for Kenyan youths to work in Germany, others said I was lying but on Friday they knew there was a plan and a possibility and while I was there on Friday, some Kenyans were already there to work,” Ruto said on Sunday during a church service at the Stewards Revival Pentecostal Church in Embakasi.
“Additionally, on September 27, the first recruitment of Kenyan youths who will work in Germany will be held.”
In the labor deal, Germany, which has struggled with an immigrant issue in recent years, will ease some of the immigration laws to enable more Kenyans to find jobs in the country.
Kenyans can also be issued long-term visas to further their studies or undertake vocational training in Germany.
President Ruto is received in Germany by the German head of protocol
PSC
