CS Mudavadi initiates move for Kiswahili teachers to get jobs in Qatar

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, held talks with Mohamed Al-Enazi, Ambassador of Qatar in Nairobi, where they explored ways of increasing and diversifying the foreign job programme.
One of the agenda featured in their conversation was Qatar opening doors for Kiswahili teachers from Kenya to join their workforce.
Mudavadi however did not reveal if the teachers would help create a curriculum in Qatar or would help educate the citizens of that Middle East country.

Kenyans working in Qatar
In his statement, Mudavadi revealed that over 75,000 Kenyans were currently working in Qatar. He noted that the number soared after 7,000 new workers left the country to join their workforce in 2024.
Notably, Mudavadi disclosed that 200 Kenyans were also serving in the Qatar National Police Force. He explained that the Qatari government recruited both form four-leavers and university graduates to boost their security sector.
“Had a productive meeting with H.E. Mohamed Al-Enazi, Ambassador of Qatar in Nairobi, where we discussed Qatar’s offer for more job opportunities for Kenyan teachers, nurses, and security personnel.

“Since 2024, Qatar has employed 7,000 Kenyans, bringing the total to 75,000. I urged the Ambassador to expand these opportunities, including roles for Kiswahili teachers. Notably, Qatar recently recruited 200 Kenyans into its National Police Force, ranging from Form 4 leavers to university graduates. I also emphasized the need for collaboration in media operations and capacity building,” Mudavadi’s statement read in part.

Recruitment paused
In December 2024, Labour Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua paused the recruitment for overseas job opportunities to allow for the swift processing of applicants already selected.
CS Mutua explained that the pause was necessary to assess the progress of the initiative and to ensure alignment with the needs of both the recruiting agencies and job seekers.
“Given the high turnout, there is a need to pause the process temporarily to ensure that the recruiting agencies, who have received over 5,900 applications, can effectively process all the applications,” Mutua said.
He also emphasised the importance of keeping key government bodies, such as the National Assembly, informed about the emerging trends in the programme.
Mutua stated that the recruitment exercise, which was carried out in six counties, had seen an overwhelming response from job seekers.