- Kenya plans to send 2,500 nurses to Saudi Arabia in mid-January 2024
- Florence Bore emphasizes streamlining the migrant worker process with a new Bilateral Labour Agreement
- The agreement aims to facilitate future labor exports; about 200,000 workers sent to Saudi Arabia
Kenya’s Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary (CS), Florence Bore, has revealed plans to dispatch 2,500 nurses to Saudi Arabia in mid-January 2024.
Labour and Social Protection CS Florence Bore
The announcement comes in the wake of a newly signed Bilateral Labour Agreement (BLA) between Kenya and Saudi Arabia, aimed at establishing updated conditions for exporting human resources.
Speaking on Thursday, CS Bore emphasized the need to enhance the migrant worker process. “We want to streamline the process of the migrant workers. We want to ensure that we identify the right cadre of workers, process them well, and follow them even when they arrive there. We will also get to know the terms of their contracts,” stated Bore.
The opportunities for nurses, both diploma and degree graduates in nursing, were reportedly secured during CS Bore’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia.
“We are processing them, and we should be able to be done by the middle of January and send them to Saudi,” she added.
To facilitate a smooth process, Bore disclosed that she has engaged with a labor recruiting agency from Saudi Arabia, which will be touring various recruiting agencies in Kenya. The meetings will involve both government representatives and private recruitment agencies.
Through the recently signed BLA, Kenya aims to expand its labor exports in the future. “We’re looking forward to taking more Kenyans, to flag off migrant workers that go to Saudi. We are even looking forward to having a desk at the airport,” noted CS Bore.
Kenya has already exported approximately 200,000 workers to Saudi Arabia, encompassing both domestic and skilled workers.
