Most Kenyans in Distress Abroad Left Through Illegal Channels - Gov't

The government has revealed that the majority of Kenyans who end up stranded or in distress while working abroad travelled through illegal and unregulated channels.

Speaking on Wednesday, July 15, State Department for Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu urged job seekers to use legal pathways such as the Kazi Majuu programme to secure employment opportunities abroad.

"The bulk of our distress cases come from people who went abroad in irregular ways, which is why when we talk about the Kazi Majuu program, we are always talking about safe, ethical, regular and legal mobility," she said.

Njogu warned that those who use illegal routes often find themselves stranded after arriving in foreign countries without proper documentation or guaranteed employment.

"When you go through these 'chochoro' ways, get stuck and then now you start hunting for work and life becomes very difficult. Then people reach out. These situations are there, but why would somebody knowingly walk down this road. I understand that people are desperate sometimes but there is a path that one should follow," she added.

Njogu encouraged Kenyans interested in working overseas to seek guidance from the State Department for Diaspora Affairs.

According to Njogu, the department is available to provide accurate information on safe migration and legal employment opportunities abroad.

"Anybody who wants to find out information about how to go abroad safely has a place to check, reach out to us. They should not walk in the dark. The ones who go without giving us information are also there," she further said.

Njogu also highlighted the growing success of the Kazi Majuu programme, revealing that hundreds of thousands of Kenyans have secured opportunities abroad through the initiative over the past three and a half years.

"As at last week, the numbers I have for Kenyans who have benefited from the Kazi Majuu program in the last three and a half years are 583,000 Kenyans. So we are very close to the 600K mark. That is a lot of people and those are the ones I’m talking about that we have the data," she noted.

Elsewhere, this comes days after President William Ruto has announced an increase in the duty-free import allowance for returning travelers, allowing travelers to bring home more gifts and personal items without incurring import duties. 

Speaking on Tuesday, June 23, he said the government had raised the duty-free allowance from Ksh39,000 to Ksh260,000.

Speaking on the change, Ruto said the decision was aimed at addressing issues raised by Kenyans returning home from overseas.

"To address concerns raised by returning travelers, including Kenyans who travel abroad and members of the diaspora, we have increased the duty-free allowance from Ksh39,000 to Ksh260,000 for gifts and personal effects that Kenyans can buy as they travel or as they come home from their jobs abroad," he announced.