President Ruto pledges 3-5k weekly jobs abroad

On 19th November 2023, President Ruto promised to secure 3,000-5,000 jobs weekly for Kenyans seeking to work abroad.

• On July 16, 2025, the government reported that more than 400,000 young Kenyans had secured jobs abroad through the government labour mobility programme. However, a lot of concerns have been raised, including scams that have emerged over jobs abroad, and the recruitment of Kenyans (February 2026) into armies across the world (including the Russian army) to fight in wars without prior and informed consent.
• On 5th February 2026, President Ruto said his government has helped more than 500,000 Kenyan youths secure jobs abroad over the past three years as part of efforts to tackle unemployment and boost foreign income; with between 300 and 500 youths leaving the country every week to take up jobs overseas.
• In July 2026, the president secured a commitment for the employment of 1,000 Kenyan professionals in the maritime sector by 2030 following talks with leaders of Norway’s maritime industry. The first group of 120 recruits is expected to join ships managed by Wilhelmsen before the end of 2026, and the rest hired progressively up until 2030. He also discussed expanding their existing bilateral labour arrangement. The proposed expansion was aimed at opening new avenues for Kenyan professionals, including teachers, to work in South Korea after a meeting with the South Korean president.
• However, this has faced major criticism and concerns about the protection of the rights of people who go abroad being weak, and questions of whether shipping these many skilled people abroad will lead to a brain drain crisis in Kenya. The number of professionals being sent abroad for employment opportunities is also not close to reaching the reported target, despite efforts on that front.