The government is keen on streamlining labour agreement with Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries to facilitate a safe and favourable working environment for Kenyans working in the Middle East
Labour and Skills Development PS Shadrack Mwadime said the government is committed to having a secure and conducive working environment for all its citizens working outside the country.
High demands for labour export from Kenya to Saudi Arabia in domestic work compelled the two governments to sign a bilateral agreement on domestic labour in 2017.
But this is now being reviewed to make working conditions of Kenyans in Saudi Arabia better.
Mwadime was speaking in Kisumu county during the African Regional Labour Administration (ARLAC) centre meeting of the working parties for the committee of senior officials, drawn from the eight member states of the organization.
The weeklong meeting is aimed at reviewing labour policies between the member countries and how to streamline them.
There are almost four million migrant domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and the gulf region including 150,000 Kenyans.
In a report, the Labour and Social Welfare Committee says 80,000 Kenyans are working and living in Saudi Arabia alone, most of them serving there as domestic labourers.
There have been calls for a ban on recruitment and export of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia, until adequate protection measures are put in place.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that 90 Kenyans died in Saudi Arabia between 2019 – 2021. The reported distress calls during the same period were 1,908, hence the need to improve the working conditions of Kenyans working in foreign countries.
Kenya has also developed other Bilateral Labour Agreements with six other countries namely UK, Poland, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain and Australia. The long-term objective is to conclude such agreements with all labour destination countries.
The agreement with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE provided for the establishment of a Joint Technical Committee to monitor the implementation of the Bilateral Labour Agreement (BLA).
The PS said Kenya has a high population of young people with over 18million being legible for employment.
“To this end, we need to spur the informal sector to absorb many of these young people and at the same time open up employment especially for our highly qualified professionals outside the country,” he said.
Cash wired into the country by Kenyans living and working abroad rose by 5.8 percent to 2.519 billion dollars (Sh.325.4 billion) during the first six months of 2025.Data from the Central Bank show foreign remittances in Kenya averaged Sh.18.2Billion from 2004 until the first half of 2025, when it reached an all-time high of Sh.53. 5 Billion.
The lowest remittances of just Sh3 billion were recorded in January of 2004.
Back to ARLAC, it was jointly formed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1974 as a project for the development of Labour Administration issues. It became a legally autonomous inter-governmental institution in October 1981.
It currently has a membership of eight countries of Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, Nigeria and South Sudan.
“Today, we embark on a vital exercise to develop, finalize and deliberate on draft policies that are fundamental to the modernization and effectiveness of labour administration in Africa,” Mwadime said.
He noted the listed policies which constitute the agenda of the meeting is comprehensive and addresses critical areas such as: performance management and staff development, risk management, corruption response plan, internship policies, and policies addressing violence and harassment.
Mwadime said these were not merely administrative documents, but are blueprints for a more equitable, productive, and safe working environment for millions of Africans.
“The challenges facing the world of work are constantly evolving, from the imperative of enhancing productivity through effective performance management, to safeguarding the integrity of our institutions through robust risk management and anti-corruption measures, our task is multifaceted,” he stated.
The PS further said that we always need to ensure that our labour inspectorate and administrators gain valuable experience through well-structured internship programs and, crucially, creating workplaces free from violence and harassment which are all moral and economic imperatives.
“Our collective efforts here will lay the groundwork for policies that are not only relevant, but also adaptable to the diverse contexts of our member states,” he said.
Mwadime added that the outcomes of the deliberations over the next few days will be crucial in forming the basis for further discussions by the Committee of Senior Officials later in October this year, ultimately shaping the future of labour administration in our respective countries.
The ILO Deputy Director Benson Litparmorijo on his part, said the new labour policy being reviewed will ensure fairness and equity among member states and at the same time ensure conducive working conditions for workers from member states.
By Mabel Keya- Shikuku
