Kenya, Saudi Arabia sign new labour deal amid persistent abuse concerns

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Riyadh with His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Foreign Affairs on June 5, 2026. [PCS]

Kenya and Saudi Arabia have signed a new labour recruitment agreement aimed at strengthening the protection of Kenyan migrant workers, as the two countries also sealed three bilateral deals to boost investment, trade and economic cooperation.

The Labour Recruitment and Employment Agreement, signed during Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s official visit to Riyadh, seeks to establish stronger safeguards on ethical recruitment, worker protection, skills recognition, improved working conditions and the welfare of Kenyans employed in the country.

The agreement come against the backdrop of years of complaints by Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, many of whom have reported physical abuse, unpaid wages, confiscation of travel documents, excessive working hours, sexual harassment and restrictions on their movement under exploitative employment arrangements.

Deaths and abuses of Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia over the past few years have sparked public outrage, intensifying calls to the government to tighten oversight of recruitment agencies and strengthen mechanisms to investigate abuses and ensuring justice for victims.

Out of the 316 Kenyans who have died in the Gulf region since 2022, Saudi Arabia recorded the highest number of fatalities with 166 deaths. Other deaths were recorded in Qatar (58), United Arab Emirates (51), Iraq (25), Bahrain (10) and Kuwait (6).

With more than 350,000 Kenyans living and working in Saudi Arabia, the country hosts Kenya’s largest diaspora community outside the United States and also rates third in sources of diaspora remittances.

In the inaugural Kenya-Saudi Arabia Political Consultations Meeting, co-chaired with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Mudavadi said the agreement would provide a stronger framework for safe, orderly and dignified labour migration.

"Our commitment is to ensure every Kenyan working abroad does so under safe, orderly, regular and dignified migration arrangements," he said, committing to further strengthen bilateral labour arrangements, expanding consular services and ensuring workers' rights are protected.

Besides the labour agreement, Kenya and Saudi Arabia also signed three Memoranda of Understanding covering the promotion of direct investment, customs cooperation and collaboration between the Saudi Export-Import Bank and the Kenya Development Corporation to facilitate financing for strategic development projects.

The agreements followed the first Kenya-Saudi Arabia Political Consultations Meeting, during which the two countries agreed to deepen political cooperation, enhance trade and investment, and strengthen coordination on regional and international issues.

“These agreements represent a major breakthrough in Kenya's economic diplomacy and provide practical mechanisms for translating the strong political relationship between Nairobi and Riyadh into tangible economic opportunities for both countries,” said the CS.

He challenged both governments and the private sector to address the trade imbalance by increasing Kenya's exports to Saudi Arabia, including tea, coffee, horticultural produce, flowers, fish and other value-added agricultural products.

Mudavadi also invited Saudi investors to explore opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, technology, logistics, infrastructure, healthcare, tourism, financial services and Special Economic Zones.

“The outcomes of this visit will strengthen labour mobility, unlock new investment opportunities, expand bilateral trade and reinforce Kenya's position as a leading diplomatic and commercial gateway between Africa and the Gulf,” he said.