Plans for Kenyan Workers to Build New Saudi Arabian City
Plans for Kenyan Workers to Build New Saudi Arabian City
Plans for Kenyan Workers to Build New Saudi Arabian City
The government’s proposal to send Kenyans to assist the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in building a new tourist city has been made public by Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore.The two countries were in negotiations to send qualified construction workers from Kenya to work at the projected Neom City site in Saudi Arabia, the CS revealed in a statement on Thursday.
“During my recent visit to Saudi Arabia, I noted that KSA is planning to build a new city called Neom in the Tabkut Province to function as a tourist destination,” Bore noted.
“We have held talks on how Kenya can support this construction by supplying workers in the field of architecture, engineering and engineering trades, contractors, masonry, landscapers, designers, plumbers, building and construction, plant operators, civil works technicians, electrical works, landscaping and cartographers.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to construct Neom, a Ksh77 trillion city, in the Tabkut Province as a tourist attraction.With development scheduled to begin in 2024, the proposed metropolis is anticipated to be a massive economic hub that can accommodate nine million people.
Over 210,000 Kenyans are employed in Saudi Arabia, making it a major market for laborers from Kenya, according to the CS.According to Bore, 30% of Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia are semi-skilled, skilled, and professionals, compared to 70% of low-skilled domestic laborers.
Thus, she confirmed that the action was in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA Plan) and the agenda of the Kenya Kwanza Administration, which includes investing in human capital.
Prior to the President’s announcement earlier this year about increased chances for Kenyans in Saudi Arabia, the government had made plans to deploy additional laborers to the country.
In her statement, CS Bore emphasized the necessity for the state to facilitate a safe and orderly labor migration of Kenyan workers to Saudi Arabia, underscoring the significance of holding negotiations between the two governments. The initiative coincides with state attempts to protect Kenyans employed in the Gulf after widespread reports of worker exploitation emerged.
