Eldoret: A one-stop-shop resource centre has been opened in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, providing comprehensive support to potential Kenyan migrants and returning migrant workers and their families. The Kenya Labour Migration Resource Centre (KLMRC), facilitated by the National Employment Authority (NEA) with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO), aims to strengthen support systems available to Kenyans seeking employment opportunities abroad.
According to Kenya News Agency, Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua emphasized the government’s commitment to streamlining the sector by developing clearer systems, stronger policies, and structures to ensure safe migration and protection for returning workers. Dr. Mutua highlighted that labour migration serves as a pathway to strengthen Kenya, with migrant workers contributing significantly to national development through remittances, investment, and transfer of knowledge and skills.
In a speech delivered by Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Dr. Edyson Nyale on his behalf, Dr. Mutua advised Kenyans to use licensed recruitment agencies and to be cautious of anyone offering quick jobs abroad without proper documentation. He stressed that genuine opportunities would always be processed through the correct channels.
NEA Director General Mrs. Edith Okoki stated that the services provided at the centre will play a critical role in ensuring safe, well-informed, and productive labour mobility. The resource centre will offer guidance, information, counselling, and other services related to overseas employment. This facility is the sixth KLMRC, following those in Nairobi, Thika, Machakos, Kisumu, and Mombasa, as NEA expands its network to bring services closer to communities.
The centre will offer guidance on ethical recruitment, verified job pathways, safe migration procedures, and rights at work. It aims to be a place where dignity is defended and hope shaped into real opportunity. Okoki emphasized the centre’s importance for young individuals aspiring to work abroad, parents concerned about their children’s safety overseas, and returning migrant workers looking to rebuild their lives.
Dr. Mutua also mentioned that to ensure structured, safe, and legal employment pathways for Kenyan workers, the government has signed bilateral labour agreements with seven countries, including the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and Qatar, with ongoing negotiations with 17 others, including Canada, the US, Jordan, and Austria.
The opening of the resource centre comes at a crucial time to protect residents of Uasin Gishu planning to travel abroad for work, as many have previously fallen victim to scams by unscrupulous agents. An ILO representative, Aida Awel, noted that the Centre strengthens Kenya’s labour migration governance and contributes meaningfully to the National Labour Migration Policy and Kenya’s broader development agenda.
The Kenya Labour Migration Resource Centre is a practical solution to challenges faced by migrant workers. It embodies principles of fair recruitment, access to accurate information, protection of migrant workers, and promotion of safe migration pathways, which the ILO champions under international labour standards. Awel reaffirmed ILO’s commitment to expanding decent work, promoting fair recruitment, and ensuring protection of migrant workers’ rights throughout their employment journey.