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UK edges past Saudi Arabia as diaspora labour shifts reshape remittances
Saudi Arabia had displaced the UK after a rapid expansion in the recruitment of Kenyan workers into the Gulf, turning the kingdom into Kenya’s leading remittance source.
The United Kingdom has, for the first time in three years, overtaken Saudi Arabia as the second-largest source of diaspora remittances to Kenya, reclaiming a position it had lost to the Middle East country amid policy-driven disruptions in Gulf labour markets.
Data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) shows remittances from the UK rose marginally by 0.72 percent to $360.2 million (Sh46.47 billion) in 2025, edging past inflows from Saudi Arabia, which fell 25.06 percent to $302.1 million (Sh38.97 billion). This reversed a ranking that had held since 2023.
