Nairobi: Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has called on Kenyans seeking employment abroad to verify job offers through official government channels, warning that unscrupulous recruitment agents are exploiting the growing demand for overseas jobs.
According to Kenya News Agency, Mudavadi urged job seekers, particularly the youth, to confirm employment opportunities through the Ministry of Labour, the National Employment Agency, and the State Department for Diaspora Affairs before travelling or committing money to recruiters.
Speaking during the fourth annual Employment and Labour Relations Symposium and Exhibition (ELRASE IV) at Strathmore University in Nairobi, the Prime CS described labour mobility as a key pillar of Kenya’s foreign policy and economic diplomacy, while stressing the need to protect citizens from exploitation.
Mudavadi noted that Kenya has signed agreements with countries including the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany, Austria, and most recently Italy, and is actively exploring frameworks with other nations.
The Government is using the Kazi Majuu programme and government-to-government bilateral labour agreements to create structured pathways for Kenyans seeking employment abroad, with emphasis on safe, regular, and dignified migration.
More than 540,000 Kenyans have secured employment overseas, while diaspora remittances surpassed US$5 billion in 2025, according to figures cited by Mudavadi, making remittances the country’s largest single source of foreign exchange.
Mudavadi reiterated that the statistics indicate immense opportunities but also immense responsibilities, as there have been over 540,000 Kenyans securing employment abroad, with diaspora remittances exceeding $5 billion in 2025.
The Government has closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of facilitating malpractices, and efforts are also underway to repatriate Kenyans trapped in conflict zones, including areas affected by the Russia-Ukraine war and scam compounds in Myanmar.
Mudavadi expressed concern over cases where Kenyans have been lured by seemingly attractive employment offers only to encounter unsafe working conditions or exploitation through human trafficking networks.
Beyond recruitment safeguards, Mudavadi called for stronger legal mechanisms to ensure migrant workers can access justice when their rights are violated outside Kenya, noting the difficulties low-wage migrant workers face in navigating recruitment systems and legal processes across countries.
He linked the concerns to the Judiciary’s Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) framework, promoting accessible, affordable, and effective justice pathways.
Mudavadi challenged the Judiciary and legal practitioners to develop approaches addressing recruitment accountability, joint liability, and enforcement of employment rights from overseas contracts within constitutional parameters.
He further called for bilateral labour agreements to include robust dispute-resolution mechanisms and for institutions to explore ways of making legal remedies accessible to workers thousands of kilometres from home.
In the meantime, Mudavadi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promoting safe, regular, and orderly labour migration while safeguarding the rights and dignity of Kenyans working abroad.
He called for stronger collaboration among the judiciary, legal practitioners, employers, workers’ representatives, development partners, and other stakeholders to address emerging challenges in international labour mobility.
