Kenya secures 293,600 jobs in Saudi Arabia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tuko
Kenya secured commitments for 293,600 jobs in Saudi Arabia during talks in Riyadh, according to Kenyan Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua. The two countries signed a technical annex to their agreement on the recruitment of domestic workers, while Saudi agencies will also cover health, construction and hospitality, Tuko reports.
Recruitment agencies operating in Saudi Arabia have committed to providing 293,600 jobs for Kenyan workers, in sectors ranging from health and construction to hospitality. The announcement was made by Alfred Mutua, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Labour, after bilateral talks held in Riyadh on 12 November, Tuko reports.
Alfred Mutua met Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthnain, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister of labour, in the presence of, among others, Joseph Masila, Kenya’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The two governments also signed a technical annex to their bilateral agreement on the recruitment of domestic workers, concluded on 5 July 2026, to simplify procedures, reduce recruitment costs and strengthen protections for workers and employers, according to Tuko.
Technical teams from the two countries are to finalise within one month an agreement on the recruitment of skilled workers. Nairobi and Riyadh also agreed on a three-month pilot programme on voluntary recruitment fees for domestic workers, as well as measures concerning pre-departure training, working conditions, remuneration and recruitment costs, Tuko reports.
The talks also covered travel restrictions imposed on Kenyans after a case of Ebola linked to a traveller who entered Kenya was detected. Alfred Mutua said the case had been identified and isolated quickly and that no community transmission had been recorded in Kenya, according to Tuko. The two governments are working to restore full access to the Saudi market for Kenyan workers. The announcement comes after Saudi travel restrictions linked to Ebola, which Kenya had deemed excessive on 31 October.
