3500 Kenyans Rejected from Gov’t-Sponsored Jobs in Kuwait
3500 Kenyans Rejected from Gov’t-Sponsored Jobs in Kuwait
3500 Kenyans Rejected from Gov’t-Sponsored Jobs in Kuwait
After it was revealed that 3,500 Kenyans had failed the prerequisite exam for skilled positions in Kuwait, the plan to export Kenyan human capital was put on hold yesterday. For the positions that President William Ruto’s administration negotiated, over 5,000 Kenyans had applied.
Halima Mahmoud, Kenya’s ambassador to Kuwait, claims that just 1,500 candidates were successful and will visit the Middle Eastern nation in December 2023. Only thirty percent of the Kenyans who had expressed interest in skilled jobs were able to pass the admission tests and prove their technical competence for the positions they were seeking for.
Kenyans will travel to Kuwait in greater numbers in 2024 as a result of an agreement the Kenyan government made to export domestic labor. Kenya and Kuwait have not yet signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin the hiring of domestic help.
The recent cabinet shift, which saw Alfred Mutua, the cabinet secretary for foreign affairs, transferred to the tourism docket, was blamed for the delay in signing the Memorandum of Understanding. Mutua was supposed to visit Kuwait around the time of the October reorganization in order to complete the transaction. The deal’s signing date has not yet been disclosed by Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi, who currently oversees the Foreign Affairs docket. In addition to looking for jobs within the country, Musalia will continue to advocate for direct flights between the two nations.
Kuwait will keep looking for talented workers from Kenya, according to Ambassador Mahmoud, even though a significant portion of candidates failed the exam. Ruto declared in June that Kenya aimed to employ one million Kenyans overseas.
