Qatar’s new Nairobi labour office boost for Kenyan migrant workers

Kenyans seeking to work in Qatar will leave the country aware of their terms of employment following the move by the Gulf State to open a labour office in Nairobi.

Labour Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui says those seeking employment in Qatar will now know the type of job that they will be doing, salary, accommodation and other labour-related issues before leaving the country.

Mr Chelugui said at the moment Kenyans who leave for Middle East through agents only get to know what they will be doing once they get to the country with totally different terms of employment from what they had been told by the agencies.

“With a labour office here in Nairobi, Kenyans leaving for Qatar will now have a definitive terms of employment once they get there. This will be a departure from the past where someone leaves the country as a technician only to get there as a maid,” said Mr Chelugui.

The establishment of the office in Kenya follows the move by Qatar to seek permission to open a labour department in Kenya to help thousands of Kenyans who go to Qatar every year for employment.

This year, the CS met with the Ambassador of Qatar in Kenya and discussed a number of issues concerning labour migration.

“With the establishment of this office, it will reduce some of the challenges faced, such as contract substitution, activities of unregistered agencies/brokers and cost of recruitment,” he said.

Mr Chelugui said they have also agreed with Qatar to jointly increase the number of skilled Kenyan workers going to the Gulf state, especially in the medical field.