Kuwait has barred recruitment of Kenyan domestic workers, weeks after Saudi Arabia’s labour reforms triggered a sharp collapse in remittance inflows from one of Kenya’s largest overseas labour markets.
The latest restrictions threaten to deepen pressure on Kenya’s labour export strategy, which has increasingly relied on Gulf domestic work markets to absorb unemployment and support foreign exchange inflows.
Kuwait’s Interior Ministry has restricted recruitment of domestic workers to 10 approved countries while barring recruitment from 27 others, including Kenya, under revised labour regulations targeting the sector.
The directive, according to Kuwaiti media reports, was adopted following recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and the Public Authority for Manpower.
Under the revised framework, Kuwait will recruit domestic workers from South Africa, Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Nepal and Senegal.
Kenya was listed alongside Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo among African countries facing recruitment restrictions under the new framework.
The decision adds fresh pressure on Kenya’s overseas labour programme, which has increasingly relied on Gulf domestic work markets to absorb unemployed youth and generate foreign exchange inflows.
It also deepens uncertainty around Kenya’s labour migration corridor to the Gulf at a time when remittance flows from some Middle East markets have already started weakening.
Saudi Arabia, previously one of Kenya’s fastest-growing remittance sources, recently recorded a sharp drop in diaspora inflows following labour reforms targeting low-skilled foreign workers.
Diaspora remittances remain Kenya’s single largest foreign exchange earner ahead of tea, tourism and horticulture exports, according to official data.
Skills-based work permit
Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data shows remittances from Saudi Arabia fell by more than half in the first quarter of this year after the kingdom introduced a skills-based work permit system.
According to the data, inflows from Saudi Arabia fell to $46.98 million (Sh6.1 billion) in the January–March period from $98.67 million (Sh12.8 billion) in a similar period last year.
The decline marked a sharp 52.38 percent drop, translating into a loss of $51.68 million (Sh6.7 billion) in remittances within a single quarter.
CBK Governor Kamau Thugge attributed part of the slowdown to labour reforms introduced in Saudi Arabia that affected employment transitions and remittance behaviour among migrant workers.
The Saudi reforms disrupted onboarding, contract renewals and earnings for thousands of migrant workers, many of whom are employed in domestic work, cleaning, hospitality and security jobs.
Kuwait’s latest restrictions threaten to further narrow opportunities for Kenyan workers seeking employment in the Gulf’s domestic labour market.
For years, Gulf countries have become central to Kenya’s labour export strategy, with agencies recruiting thousands of workers annually for needs such as housekeeping, caregiving, cleaning, hospitality and driving jobs.
Successive Kenyan administrations have promoted overseas employment as a solution to rising unemployment pressures and a source of diaspora remittances to support household incomes.
The labour export push accelerated sharply after the Covid-19 pandemic, with Gulf states emerging as major destinations for Kenyan workers amid weak domestic job creation.
Recruitment agencies have intensified placement drives targeting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait, particularly for low-skilled and semi-skilled workers.
The expansion transformed Gulf migration into one of Kenya’s fastest-growing remittance corridors, supporting families through school fees, healthcare spending, and rural construction projects.
The sector has, however, also faced repeated scrutiny over flaws including worker abuse, exploitation, delayed wages, contract violations and deaths involving Kenyan domestic workers.
Many Kenyan workers deployed to Gulf countries fall within lower-income categories, making them vulnerable to regulatory shifts, immigration controls and changing labour policies in destination countries.
Sustained slowdown in Gulf recruitment is set to have ripple effects extending beyond individual workers into local consumption patterns and rural household incomes.
The restrictions could also intensify pressure on the government to diversify labour export destinations beyond the Gulf and expand opportunities for higher-skilled migration categories.
