President William Ruto this week launched the state of migration report in the East and Horn of Africa at a time when the region is engaged in a conversation on labour mobility. 

The report demonstrates that the 12 countries in the bloc not only host a large number of economic migrants but is also an exporter of labour. For many of citizens from the region, however, the main drivers of labour migration remain political instability, low employment prospects in their countries and effects of climate change, which are responsible for phenomena like drought.

There is no doubt that labour mobility has immense social benefits for both the source and destination countries. For instance, Kenya prides itself as the host of a large human resource base that has both skilled and unskilled workers. According to the Labour ministry, while about 1.2 million Kenyans join the labour market every year, the formal and informal sectors have the capacity to absorb only 800,000, leaving a surplus of about 400,000. These are workers Kenya can outsource to other countries.

Tellingly, Diaspora remittances from Kenyans abroad hit a record $4.027 billion in 2022, inching closer to exports, which brought in $5.77 billion worth of foreign currency.

Kenya receives Sh400 billion from remittances, which is more than it earns from tea, coffee or horticulture exports. These remittances are the source of livelihoods for thousands of families with relatives abroad while some of the money is ploughed into the local economy in the form of investments, mostly in real estate.

That is why the pledge by the President — that he will sign ten new bilateral labour agreements that will see Kenya send more workers to Europe, North American and Middle Eastern countries — is welcome.

Many of these migrants will go to Germany and the deal to pave the way for their movement is likely to be signed when the Germany Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, visits Kenya today.

For Kenya and Kenyans to reap maximum benefits from such deals, Labour ministry officials ought to be vigilant and ensure the agreements guarantee the right working conditions, respect for human rights and dignity of Kenyan workers. They should also provide opportunities for both skilled and non-skilled workers.