Ruto Announces Qatar Deal to Create 13,000 Jobs for Kenyans
President Ruto has signed a new deal with the government of Qatar that will see 13,000 Kenyans get employment opportunities abroad, expanding the country’s presence in the global labour market.
This came after Ruto met Qatar’s Labour Minister Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri on the sidelines of the United Nations Social Development Summit in Doha. The President described the development as a big step in deepening labour ties between the two countries.
“We welcome Qatar’s offer of 13,000 new jobs in various skill categories for our workers. This will take the number of Kenyans in Qatar to about 90,000, giving more of our young people access to global employment, competitive earnings and pathways to uplift their families and communities while contributing to national growth,” Ruto said in a statement.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackling youth unemployment through the Labour Mobility Programme, a flagship policy that links skilled Kenyans to overseas jobs. “We are committed to expanding quality job opportunities for our young people through the Labour Mobility Programme, helping them acquire global experience and skills they can later bring back home to support Kenya’s development,” he added.
As part of the deal, Kenya and Qatar will also set up a Qatari Visa Centre in Nairobi by early 2026. The facility will simplify recruitment processes and enhance transparency in labour migration. “We agreed to operationalise a Qatari Visa Centre in Nairobi by early 2026. This will streamline the movement of Kenyan workers to Qatar, eliminate past bottlenecks and strengthen oversight to protect our citizens from rogue recruitment practices,” Ruto said.
The Qatar deal is the latest in a series of international partnerships Kenya has signed this year. In August, the government signed several agreements with Japan during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the partnerships cover areas such as national development, finance and health. Among them is a Statement of Intent on the Samurai Bond, signed between Kenya’s National Treasury and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, to help Kenya access Japan’s financial markets.
“Our plan to access financing in the Japanese capital markets is a big step in our innovative policy of diversifying resource mobilisation for priority national development and transformation,” Omollo said.Kenya also signed a Letter of Intent to fast track access to Cefiderocol, an antibiotic for bacterial pneumonia. The agreement was between Kenya’s Ministry of Health and Shionogi & Co. Ltd of Japan with support from the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Foundation.
And a Memorandum of Cooperation on Human Resource Development between Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institution (KIRDI) and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
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Ruto Announces Qatar Deal to Create 13,000 Jobs for Kenyans