540,000 Kenyans placed in jobs abroad through labour mobility

Kenya produces roughly a million labour-market entrants a year for an economy that cannot yet absorb them all. Rather than let young people be trafficked by unregulated agents, the government negotiated government-to-government labour agreements with Germany, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Austria, Denmark and others.

• 540,000 Kenyans placed in jobs abroad.
• Placements are made through vetted, licensed channels with contracts registered before departure.
• The programme has added roughly one billion dollars a year to remittance inflows.

The government has been direct that abuse of migrant workers is unacceptable, and has responded with tightened vetting, labour attachés in destination countries and blacklisting of rogue agencies.