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Kenya begins talks to open over 200,000 jobs for skilled workers in Qatar

Posted on by darion

  • The Kenyan government has entered into bilateral talks with Qatar to facilitate the deployment of skilled workers to the Gulf state
  • The discussions, led by CS Alfred Mutua, aim to amend the 2012 Bilateral Labor Agreement which previously placed emphasis on unskilled labor
  • The new agreement will focus on sectors such as ICT, health, education, infrastructure and agriculture to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in Qatar

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has over three years of experience in financial, business and technology research and reporting, providing insight into trends in Kenya and globally.

The Kenyan government has entered into key bilateral talks with Qatar to pave the way for the deployment of more skilled workers to the Gulf state.

Kenyan workers and jobs in Qatar.
Kenyan CS for Labor Alfred Mutua and Qatari Labor Minister Saeed Samikh Al-Marri during bilateral talks at KICC. Photo: @DrAlfredMutua.
Source: Twitter

The discussions, led by Cabinet Secretary for Labor and Social Protection Alfred Mutua, aim to amend the existing 2012 Bilateral Labor Agreement, which focused mainly on unskilled workers, by shifting the emphasis to skilled sectors such as ICT, health, education, infrastructure and agriculture.

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The new agreement is expected to significantly boost Kenya’s labor export market. This comes at a time when Qatar is experiencing increased demand for skilled professionals, driven by rapid development projects.

In a speech at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC), Mutua announced that the talks represent an important step towards expanding opportunities for Kenyan workers abroad, especially in specialized fields.

“We want to ensure that this partnership will not only provide valuable employment opportunities for Kenyans, but will also safeguard the rights and well-being of our workers in Qatar. This MoU will benefit both nations by opening the door for qualified Kenyans to contribute to Qatar’s development while enhancing their careers,” Mutua said in a statement to X.

Number of Kenyans working in Qatar

Mutua noted that there are currently about 67,000 Kenyans working in Qatar, and once the new MoU is finalized, this number will increase significantly, likely to exceed 200,000 workers.

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The establishment of the Qatar Visa Center in Nairobi will further facilitate this process by ensuring that all contracts and documentation are in order before departure.

The Kenyan delegation attending the talks includes Principal Secretaries Shadrack Mwadime (Labour) and Joseph Motari (Social Protection), as well as key officials from the National Employment Authority (NEA) and the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).

They actively worked with Qatari Minister of Labor Saeed Samikh Al-Marri and his team to finalize the deal.

The talks reflect the Kenyan government’s broader employment strategy, focusing on labor exports as a means of creating jobs for Kenyans.

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Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, multimedia journalist and editor at TUKO.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke