The Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection, Alfred Mutua, has revealed the government's plan to export one million annually Kenyan workers abroad every year as part of a new jobs scheme.
After meeting with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday, November 13, Mutua in an online post revealed that the government is engaging other countries in a bid to expand Kenya's employment export base to one million annually.
"During the meeting, I had the opportunity to brief the Deputy President on the ongoing recruitment and sensitization program targeting one million job placements annually through our labor export initiative," Mutua revealed.
The CS further revealed that the government will be establishing ICT hubs in each of Kenya’s 290 constituencies to provide the Kenyan youth with access to lucrative digital jobs, transforming their economic prospects and building a robust future for Kenya.
The CS who had met with DP Kindiki at his Karen residence, asserted that the government is committed to tackling the youth unemployment challenge in the nation.
"Government is making significant investments in Technical and Vocational Education to equip millions of young Kenyans with market-ready knowledge, skills, and competencies," the CS continued.
Already, there are reports indicating that the number of unemployed people in the country will reach 1.76 million people this year, a majority of whom are said to be between 20-24 years.
According to the CS, the Kenya Kwanza administration is actively negotiating for more job opportunities abroad under its labour export program.
"To ensure a structured and beneficial approach to labor migration, we are expanding our network of bilateral labor agreements, opening doors for Kenyans to take up semi-trained and professional roles internationally," Mutua noted.
Reiterating the CS's sentiments, DP Kithure Kindiki revealed that the government is making more bilateral labour agreements with other countries to open up opportunities for Kenyans in semi-trained and professional fields.
"While part of the trained and trained youth are continuously being deployed to accelerate Kenya’s industrialization and manufacturing agenda, President William Ruto’s administration is negotiating for more job opportunities abroad under the export of labor program," Kindiki stated.
The sentiments come at a time when the Kenyan employment sector is facing major challenges.
Thousands of Kenyans are facing threats of losing their jobs as companies continue to announce cutdowns and layoffs as they grapple to stay afloat.
