Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has called on Kenyans seeking employment abroad to verify job offers through official government channels, warning that unscrupulous recruitment agents are exploiting the growing demand for overseas jobs.
Mudavadi urged job seekers, particularly the youth, to confirm employment opportunities through the Ministry of Labour, the National Employment Agency, and the State Department for Diaspora Affairs before travelling or committing money to recruiters.
Speaking during the fourth annual Employment and Labour Relations Symposium and Exhibition (ELRASE IV) at Strathmore University in Nairobi, the Prime CS described labour mobility as a key pillar of Kenya’s foreign policy and economic diplomacy, while stressing the need to protect citizens from exploitation.
“We have signed agreements with countries including the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany, Austria, and most recently Italy. We are actively exploring frameworks with other nations,” Mudavadi noted.
Importantly, the Government is using the Kazi Majuu programme and government-to-government bilateral labour agreements to create structured pathways for Kenyans seeking employment abroad, with emphasis on safe, regular, and dignified migration.
More than 540,000 Kenyans have secured employment overseas, while diaspora remittances surpassed US$5 billion in 2025, according to figures cited by Mudavadi, making remittances the country’s largest single source of foreign exchange.
“Recent records indicate that over 540,000 Kenyans have secured employment abroad. Our diaspora remittances exceeded $5 billion in 2025, making them our largest single source of foreign exchange. These numbers tell a story of immense opportunity, but they also tell a story of immense responsibility,” he reiterated.
The Government has closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of facilitating malpractices, while efforts are also underway to repatriate Kenyans trapped in conflict zones, including areas affected by the Russia-Ukraine war and scam compounds in Myanmar.
In this regard, Mudavadi expressed concern over cases in which Kenyans have been lured by seemingly attractive employment offers only to encounter unsafe working conditions, human trafficking networks, or other forms of exploitation.
“These are not just statistics; they represent the lives and dignity of our brothers and sisters. These opportunities come with profound challenges. We have witnessed disturbing cases of our youth being lured into unsafe jobs, falling victim to rogue recruitment agents, human trafficking networks, and even being deceived into becoming combatants in foreign conflicts,” he regretted.
Beyond recruitment safeguards, Mudavadi called for stronger legal mechanisms to ensure migrant workers can access justice when their rights are violated outside Kenya.
He observed that low-wage migrant workers, particularly domestic workers, face significant difficulties navigating recruitment systems and legal processes spanning several countries.
“Their justice journeys often traverse multiple jurisdictions, power imbalances, trauma, and economic precarity,” Mudavadi noted.
The Prime CS linked the concerns to the Judiciary’s Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) framework, which seeks to promote people-centered justice pathways that are accessible, affordable and effective.
He challenged the Judiciary and legal practitioners to develop approaches capable of addressing recruitment accountability, joint liability, and enforcement of employment rights arising from overseas contracts while remaining within constitutional parameters.
“This requires us to interrogate employment contracts more closely and recognise when agreements conceal coercion and structural inequality,” Mudavadi urged.
He further called for bilateral labour agreements to incorporate robust dispute-resolution mechanisms and for institutions to explore ways of making legal remedies accessible to workers who may be thousands of kilometres from home.
“How can we strengthen our bilateral labour agreements to include robust dispute resolution mechanisms? How can our courts exercise jurisdiction effectively across borders? How can we ensure that alternative dispute resolution mechanisms are accessible to migrant workers who may be far from home and unfamiliar with our legal systems? How can we leverage technology and innovation to make justice more accessible?” he posed.
In the meantime, Mudavadi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promoting safe, regular, and orderly labour migration while safeguarding the rights and dignity of Kenyans working abroad.
He called for stronger collaboration among the judiciary, legal practitioners, employers, workers’ representatives, development partners, and other stakeholders to address emerging challenges in international labour mobility.
“But we cannot do this alone. We need the partnership of the Judiciary, legal practitioners, employers and workers’ representatives, development partners, and all stakeholders,” Mudavadi rallied.
By Nancy Omondi
