CS Mutua explains delayed job travel as Kenyans wait for offer letters

Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has explained why the deployment of some Kenyans to jobs in Qatar has taken longer than expected, attributing the delay to a phased recruitment and placement process.

Appearing before the Senate to respond to concerns raised by job applicants on Tuesday, Mutua clarified that the process depends on the timing of job offers from employers and not all offers arrive at once.

He also confirmed that Kenyans are still travelling abroad for the available positions, though the placement has been happening in stages.

"The travelling of people overseas is a process, out of the 3,000 people who were indicated initially, that they had been given job offers were hired. We received slightly below or above 1,000 job offers, and the processing started, and since then, people have been travelling," said Mutua.

He noted that many of the applicants who received offer letters have already left for Qatar, while others are still waiting as new job placements continue to be issued.

"Many have been travelling over a period of time, and they are still going. The job that we were given in Qatar was for over a year, and it was based on placement at different times," he added.

The Cabinet Secretary said that the recruitment involved an induction session where applicants were advised to wait for confirmed offers. He emphasized that no one was promised immediate departure, and the timeline depended on when offers became available.

"We told them, when the job offer comes, you will be able to travel for the job offer or wait for the job offer," Mutua stated.

He explained that the offers were from a company based in Qatar but with businesses spread across different countries.

The job placements were therefore not limited to Qatar alone but included other locations in the Middle East and North Africa.

"They have their businesses in different countries. They were going to be posted to these companies' businesses across the Middle East and the North African region," said the Cabinet Secretary.

Concerns had been raised by some Kenyans who claimed they were asked to pay large sums of money to recruitment agencies but never received offer letters.

These complaints prompted the Senate to summon Mutua to provide clarity.

In response, Mutua acknowledged that some of the initial job offers fell short of Kenya’s employment standards.

He said the ministry took a firm position and rejected such offers, insisting that Kenyan workers should earn more when working abroad.

"The salary needs to be a bit higher. You are leaving your family here, your environment, so the salary should be higher. It took time because they went and renegotiated for a raise in salary," he said.

Mutua added that following the negotiations, employers raised the pay, and new offer letters were issued.

For those who no longer wished to pursue the opportunities, refunds were provided, apart from deductions for medical tests.

"Kenyans who were not interested in travelling were refunded their money, save for the medical fee," said the CS.

He said that others have either travelled or been placed in alternative roles elsewhere, while some are still waiting for new opportunities that match their preferences.

"Others have travelled and have been given alternative jobs and similar jobs elsewhere. Others chose to wait for alternative jobs," he explained.