Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua on Sunday announced that Kenya will now be able to send skilled workers to work in Qatar, marking a shift from the past where the labour agreements between the nation and Kenya involved only unskilled workers.
Speaking in Nairobi when he met his Qatari counterpart Saeed Samikh Al-Marri, the CS revealed that Kenya and Qatar were now working on formalising a bilateral labour agreement that will see Kenyans with specific skills move to the Gulf nation as the government continues its quest to provide employment opportunities for thousands of graduates who are faced with unemployment.
The new agreement will amend the 2012 Bilateral Labour Agreement between the two countries, marking a shift from the unskilled labor migration. The new agreement is expected to see skilled Kenyans gain opportunities in Qatar’s work sectors.Â
”I am pleased to announce that Kenya has begun bilateral talks with Qatar to finalize a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will open doors for skilled Kenyan workers to work in the Gulf state. This new agreement will amend the 2012 Bilateral Labour Agreement, which was primarily focused on unskilled labour migration, and now focus on skilled sectors,’’ Mutua announced.
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and his Qatar counterpart Saeed Samikh Al-Marri at Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi on October 6, 2024.
ALFRED MUTUA
”We are very pleased to announce that as a result of our discussion, we are going to open up that sector and the quota for Kenyans,’’ he added.
According to the Labour CS, the agreement will mark a significant step towards the expansion of Kenya’s labour market and will create opportunities for Kenyans in key sectors within the Gulf state.
”The talks, held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), are a significant step toward expanding our labour export market, especially as Qatar continues its ambitious development projects. These projects have created a growing demand for skilled workers in various sectors, including ICT, health, education, infrastructure, and agriculture,’’ the CS stated.
He also revealed that currently there were 67,000 Kenyans working in Qatar and that the talks also centered around a request to the Qatari authorities to increase the figure to about 200,000 to 300,000 opportunities.
On his part, Qatari’s Labour Minister Saeed Samikh Al-Marri highlighted that the bilateral agreement with Kenya will focus on key areas that include education, ICT, and Gas among other sectors in the country.
”As we have agreed we are going to be focused on national development strategy in fields such as ICT, education, media, oil and gas with the new agreement. We can work together to increase Kenya’s labour community and as per our discussions today, we will focus on the highest skills because that is very important for our relations,’’ Samikh stated.
According to Mutua, the government will set up a Qatar Visa Centre in Nairobi that will help applicants for the opportunities to get the necessary documentation to work in the country.
”We have engaged with Qatar to ensure that this partnership benefits both countries. We have also agreed to establish a Qatar Visa Centre in Nairobi, which will streamline the migration process, ensuring contracts are properly signed and that all necessary documentation is completed before workers leave for Qatar.’’
He also added that the agreement will give Kenyans an opportunity to gain valuable experience while laying off fears over the instances where Kenyans working had been unfairly targeted and injured.
”This MoU will open thousands of opportunities for skilled Kenyans to contribute to Qatar’s growth while gaining valuable experience and bettering their livelihoods. The talks reaffirm Kenya’s commitment to providing ethical, trained, and well-prepared workers to meet Qatar’s needs while ensuring that our workers are protected and treated fairly.’’
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua(second right) and his Qatar counterpart Saeed Samikh Al-Marri(right) with Principal Secretaries Shadrack Mwadime (Labour), Joseph Motari (Social Protection) at Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi on October 6, 2024.
ALFRED MUTUA
