Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua has announced new charges for employment agencies seeking to deploy Kenyans to work abroad.

According to the CS, the move is part of reforms aimed at improving the recruitment and deployment process for Kenyans seeking employment abroad.

Newly registered agencies will be required to pay Ksh500,000 to be granted an initial certificate valid for one year.

For agencies already in operation, the renewal period will be extended to two years, with a renewal fee of Ksh 500,000 for the entire duration, or Ksh 250,000 for a one-year renewal option.

“These changes will take effect from September 23, and those currently holding renewal notifications can also benefit from this reform. To ensure compliance, the National Employment Authority (NEA) has fully staffed its compliance section to enforce these new regulations,” he said.

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The CS further announced changes to pre-departure training and orientation programs. Homecare management training will now be combined with pre-departure training, reducing the total training period from 26 days to 14 days.

”This new structure allocates 10 days for homecare training and 4 days for pre-departure orientation,” he said.

For other skilled migrant workers, the pre-departure training will be reduced to 2 days. The assessment for these programs will be completed within 5 days, with certification issued 3 days thereafter.

The assessment system will be scored out of 100 points with the pass mark set at 60%. The assessment will cover various areas including literacy and civic education.

According to Mutua, migrant workers who have previously worked in Gulf countries as domestic workers and have successfully completed their contracts will be exempt from the homecare and pre-departure training requirements.