President William Ruto on Sunday announced that he has been invited by the Saudi Arabian government for a high-level meeting kicking off next month.
Speaking during a Sunday service at Deliverance Church in Lang'ata, Nairobi, the President announced that during the meeting, he will sign a groundbreaking labour transfer agreement, marking one of the most significant human capital deals in the history of independent Kenya.
He further disclosed that the Saudi Arabian Government has provided assurance that Kenyan citizens relocating to the Gulf country will not be engaged as domestic workers.
“I am going to Saudi Arabia to sign a bilateral agreement next month. They want 500,000 workers,” he stated.
Ruto further revealed that the government has inked deals with several countries to export human labour.
“Kenyans will not be going there as domestic workers. We have negotiated so they are absorbed in semi-skilled, skilled and professional jobs.”
The President disclosed that Germany has already requested for 200,000 skilled Kenyans.
In the same vein, the President said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has already began employing skilled professionals from Kenya.
The deal between Saudi Arabia and Kenya dwarfs the labour transfer agreement Ruto’s predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta signed with the United Kingdom.
In 2021, Kenya agreed to send 20,000 nurses to the UK to address a shortage of 62,000 Britain was experiencing at the time.
According to data from the Ministry of Affairs, over 3 million Kenyans currently work abroad and the number is bound to increase further with the latest bilateral agreements.
