Kenya negotiates better wages in Saudi Arabia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kenyans.co.ke
Kenya and Saudi Arabia are negotiating a recruitment agreement for skilled workers, with a mechanism to improve their pay. Technical teams are to finalise the agreement within a month, after talks led by Alfred Mutua in Riyadh on 12 November, according to Kenyans.co.ke.
Kenya and Saudi Arabia are to finalise within a month a new recruitment agreement for skilled workers, Kenyan Labour Secretary Alfred Mutua announced on Thursday 12 November. The agreement is to facilitate access for Kenyan professionals to the Saudi labour market, according to a statement by Mr Mutua reported by Kenyans.co.ke.
During negotiations in Riyadh with Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthnain, Saudi deputy labour minister, Saudi Arabia also agreed to seek a mechanism to improve and make the wages offered to Kenyans more competitive. The sectors concerned include health, education, construction, hospitality, transport, manufacturing, finance and domestic work, according to Alfred Mutua.
The talks also covered the working conditions of Kenyans already employed in Saudi Arabia. Alfred Mutua raised concerns about their treatment and protection, following documented cases of unpaid wages, excessive working hours, physical violence, restrictions on movement and passport retention reported by Amnesty International in 2025.
The two countries also signed a technical annex to the agreement on the recruitment of domestic workers concluded in July. It provides for simplified hiring procedures, reduced recruitment costs and stronger contractual protections, according to Alfred Mutua. The negotiations come after the announcement on 13 November of 293,600 jobs for Kenyans in Saudi Arabia.
