The Principal Secretary for the State Department for Labour and Skills Development, Shadrack Mwadime, has affirmed the government’s commitment to reforming the overseas job recruitment sector to eliminate rogue agencies.

Admittedly, the PS said during the graduation ceremony of 24 divers from Kerio Valley who had undergone intense training at Bandari Maritime Academy, that there are challenges, and they have received complaints from some youths who were defrauded by rogue agencies.

“It is incumbent on us as the government to clean up the sector because there may be no jobs locally, but opportunities exist abroad.”

He vowed that they would keep on deregistering rogue agencies, not to prey on and swindle gullible job-seeking Kenyans of their hard-earned money on false pretences of recruiting them to well-paying overseas jobs.

“To our youths, before you hand over your money to any agency, visit the National Employment Authority website. All the questionable agencies are marked red, warning Kenyans not to visit them even if they have advertised in print or social media,” the PS said.

“But the ones listed in black are genuine. We don’t dispute that they are challenges; we see them every day, but the government is stepping up efforts because we know if we don’t look for jobs for our youths as a government, we will not have fulfill on our mandate that we were elected to fulfil,” he added.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to streamlining the industry through regulation, promising to ensure that anyone who had been swindled by the agencies is refunded and the recruiters apprehended.

“Yes, we know that Kenyans are desperate, but we cannot allow them to be exploited negatively,” the PS stated.

The PS further clarified that the government only facilitate the recruitment of Kenyans to work abroad by bringing the recruitment agencies together. The economy, he said, is private sector-driven and the government doesn’t have an agency that directly recruit young people to work abroad.

“We use the private recruitment agencies. I think it’s critical we make this clear because many a time’s people have been misinformed. We only facilitate,” the PS said.

The sentiments from the PS come barely days after Amnesty International released an extensive report titled “Locked In, Left Out: The Hidden Lives of Kenyan Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia.” The report documents the experiences of over 70 women who previously worked as domestic workers in the Gulf nation.

The report recommended that the government ensure that its bilateral labour agreement with Saudi Arabia is rights-based and includes clear protection guarantees for domestic workers.

The protections it said should align with international standards and address key areas such as ethical recruitment, the employer-pays principle, working and living conditions, fair payment of wages, non-discrimination, dispute resolution, and access to justice.

To unlock job opportunities in the maritime sector, PS Mwadime disclosed that the State Department of Shipping and Maritime Affairs is collaborating with the State Department of Immigration to devise strategies to ensure seamless issuance of the Seafarer’s Identification Documents (SID).

The essential travel document facilitates seafarers’ entry aboard vessels for shore leave, transit, transfer, or repatriation in various countries.

“Rest assured, that there is something in the offing. There’s something that is being worked on, and within a short period, they will get the documents,” assured the PS