Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has come under sharp criticism from lawmakers following revelations that Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties received a disproportionately high number of beneficiaries in the government’s diaspora jobs programme.

A report tabled before the Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers Committee, chaired by Kwale Woman Representative Lydia Haika, shows the three counties received the lion’s share of overseas employment opportunities, raising concerns about regional imbalance.

The report, presented by National Employment Authority (NEA) Director General Edith Okoki, detailed job allocations from a recruitment drive conducted between November 20 and 27, 2024.

Okoki clarified that the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection handled the recruitment process independently, without the involvement of NEA in selecting the candidates.

“The Authority is unable to explain the criteria used for selecting candidates who travelled abroad, as we did not participate in the recruitment,” Okoki told the committee, adding that NEA’s role was limited to verifying registration certificates of private employment agencies, supporting the ministry in coordinating events, approving job demands through its information systems and registering job seekers.

The data presented showed notable disparities in both registration and placement out of 13,974 declared vacancies.

Machakos registered 1,260 job seekers, out of whom 752 were successful. For Makueni, out of 6,931 declared vacancies, 506 were registered and 410 were placed.

For Kitui County, out of the 7,830 vacancies, 921 were registered, with 901 securing jobs.

On the other hand, Nakuru County had the highest number of declared vacancies at 15,753 and yet only 2,037 registered, while 2,516 were successfully placed.

Committee members condemned the exercise as discriminatory, and lacking transparency and have summoned CS Mutua to explain the selection criteria used during the recruitment.