The Kenyan Government has closed more than 600 recruitment Agencies suspected of malpractice as authorities intensify efforts to protect citizens seeking employment abroad.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi disclosed this on September 16, 2026, during the fourth annual Employment and Labour Relations Symposium and Exhibition at Strathmore University in Nairobi.
Mudavadi warned Kenyans, particularly young people, against rogue recruitment agents and urged job seekers to verify overseas employment opportunities through the Ministry of Labour, National Employment Agency and State Department for Diaspora Affairs before paying recruiters or travelling.
He said more than 540,000 Kenyans have secured jobs abroad, while diaspora remittances exceeded US$5 billion in 2025, making them Kenya’s largest single source of foreign exchange.
Kenya has signed labour agreements with countries including the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany, Austria and, most recently, Italy. The Government is also using its Kazi Majuu programme and bilateral labour agreements to provide structured pathways for overseas employment.
Mudavadi said authorities were working to repatriate Kenyans trapped in conflict zones, including areas affected by the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as people caught in scam compounds in Myanmar.
He also called for stronger protections in bilateral labour agreements, including effective dispute-resolution mechanisms, warning that some Kenyans had been deceived by fraudulent job offers and subsequently exposed to unsafe working conditions, human trafficking or recruitment into foreign conflicts.
The Government, he said, remained committed to promoting safe and orderly labour migration while protecting the rights and dignity of Kenyans working overseas.