Boost for Kenyan Job Seekers as Qatar Opens Labor Office in Nairobi

Qatar has opened a labor office in Nairobi to help thousands of Kenyans who travel to the Gulf nation annually in search of jobs.

The opening of the new office means Kenyans seeking to work in Qatar will leave the country aware of their terms of employment.

Labor Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui said job seekers will have details such as type of job, salary, accommodation, and other labor-related issues before leaving the country for Qatar.

“With a labor office here in Nairobi, Kenyans leaving for Qatar will now have 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 Chelugui.

The establishment of the office came after Qatar sought permission from the Kenyan government to open a labor department in Nairobi as part of its efforts to help Kenyans seeking jobs in the Middle East country.

Earlier this year, CS Chelugui met with the Qatari Ambassador in Kenya Ibrahim Mohammed Abdulrahman Alabdullah to discuss issues concerning labor 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,” added Chelugui.

Kenya and Qatar have also agreed to jointly increase the number of skilled Kenyan workers going to Qatar, especially in the medical field.