During his recent visit to Qatar for the UN Second World Summit for Social Development, Kenya’s President Ruto took time to meet and address Kenyans living and working in Doha.
The side event brought together Kenyans living in Qatar to discuss opportunities, challenges, and the government’s ongoing support for its citizens abroad.
As of now, there are about 75,000 Kenyans living in Qatar. The Qatari government has plans to provide 13,000 new jobs to Kenyans, which will bring the total number of Kenyans to just under 90,000.
Related: Number of Kenyans in Qatar and the Jobs They Do
Here’s a summary of the key highlights from his remarks:
Acknowledgment and Appreciation
- High-Quality Workforce: The President commended Kenyans in Qatar for their professionalism and strong work ethic. He noted that senior Qatari officials and major institutions, including Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport, and Mowasalat (Public Transport), have praised Kenyan employees for their dedication and reliability.
- Public Transport Success: About 14,000 Kenyans currently work in Qatar’s public transport sector, in different capacities from taxi & bus drivers to logistic operation roles.
- Security Cohort Achievement: He celebrated the first group of Kenyan police officers deployed to Qatar, who achieved a 100% success rate in their training.
Related: Kenya Airways Taps into Gulf Market with Qatar Airways Partnership and New Mombasa Route
Government Support and Engagement
- Recruitment Reform: The government has revoked the licenses of rogue recruitment agencies and made efforts to streamline the process of getting jobs abroad. All legitimate overseas job opportunities are now published on a government website to reduce fraud and exploitation.
- A new Qatar Visa Centre: The centre aims to streamline the visa process of Kenyans looking to go to Qatar for work, and help stop rogue recruitment agencies from conning Kenyans. Plans are to have the centre open by early 2026.
- Faster Passport Processing: A new “green channel” allows Kenyans with verified job offers to receive their passports in just 2–3 days, improving efficiency and access to foreign job markets.
- Travel Support: The government is exploring funding through the NYS and Women’s Enterprise Fund to help job seekers afford travel expenses such as tickets.
- Bilateral Labor Agreements (BLAs): Kenya is expanding formal labor partnerships with foreign nations, including upgrading the agreement with Qatar to facilitate the recruitment of more skilled workers. The goal is to have active BLAs with 19 to 25 countries.
- Reducing Remittance Costs: President Ruto revealed that the Central Bank of Kenya has been directed to lower remittance costs, currently between 7% and 10%, to make it easier for Kenyans abroad to send money home.
- Diaspora Bond: He also announced that Kenya is in the final stages of launching a diaspora bond, which will offer structured investment opportunities for Kenyans living overseas.
