Kenya plans to facilitate the employment of 5,000–10,000 Kenyans abroad each week, according to Dr. Alfred Mutua, Cabinet Secretary for Labor and Social Protection. Speaking at a conference in Nairobi with private employment agencies and home care training centers, Dr. Mutua highlighted the government’s strategy, which includes partnering with financial institutions to provide credit to job seekers as a key measure to achieve this ambitious goal.
“I want to see five to ten thousand people leaving the country each week. We have taken several steps, such as engaging financial institutions to extend credit to job seekers,” Mutua said. “With access to credit, we can process their documents faster and increase the number of people we send overseas.”
Dr. Mutua also announced new reforms, including the introduction of a revamped registration system for employment agencies to streamline recruitment and deployment processes. The initial registration certificate for new employment agencies will now cost Ksh. 500,000 and will be valid for one year.
“Instead of renewing the registration certificate every year, it will now last for two years at a cost of Ksh. 500,000, or Ksh. 250,000 annually with a one-year renewal option,” Mutua explained. “This reform, effective from September 23, will also benefit those with current renewal notifications. The National Employment Authority (NEA) has strengthened its compliance team to enforce these new regulations.”
Changes to the orientation and pre-departure training programs were also introduced. “Pre-departure and homecare management training will now be integrated, reducing the overall training duration from 26 to 14 days—10 days for homecare training and four days for pre-departure orientation,” he noted. “For other skilled migrant workers, pre-departure training will be reduced to two days, with certification issued three days post-assessment.”
The new evaluation system will score trainees out of 100 points, divided into three sections: 10% for pre-departure theory (covering civics and literacy), 25% from ongoing trainer evaluations, and 65% from practical assessments conducted by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA). A minimum passing score of 60% will be required. NITA will release updated guidelines to trainers by November 1 to align with the new curriculum.
Additionally, migrant workers who have previously completed contracts as domestic workers in Gulf countries will be exempted from the pre-departure training and homecare management requirements.
Dr. Mutua also announced that NITA is constructing a model home in Mombasa designed to resemble an Arabic home setting, emphasizing the importance of practical, culturally tailored training for domestic workers heading to Saudi Arabia. “Trainers will receive visual aids and designs from NITA outlining the minimum standards for an Arabic home,” he added. “The combined cost for pre-departure training and homecare management will be capped at Ksh. 14,000.”