When the government of Kenya announced that it had secured 2,500 nursing jobs in Saudi Arabia for jobless Kenyan nurses, the expectation was that these vacancies would be scooped like hot cakes.
However, data from the Ministry of Labour indicates that Kenyan nurses largely kept off the nursing jobs despite consistent advertising and marketing of the opportunities.
Out of the 2,500 advertised jobs, the number of nurses who sent in their applications was less than 1,800. Worse, the number of nurses who qualified for the positions stood at 586.
“The shortfall in applications for the vacancies has been attributed to the low perception of the salary offer amongst applicants and the requirements for a 90-day bonding period for the Private Recruitment Agency facilitating the process,” the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Labour Florence Bore said.
The CS stated that the 586 nurses who passed the recruitment process had already acquired their travel documentations.
By February this year, only 1,000 applicants had submitted their applications for the available vacancies. Out of these, 500 were men. This implied that the valid applications were only 500 out of the 2,500.
To qualify, nurses were required to either have a degree in nursing, a diploma or a certificate. Nurses with a certificate were required to have at least one year experience working in a government hospital.
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Successful applicants for the Saudi nursing jobs will be employed on a contract basis, earning salaries of up to Sh. 195,000, depending on the position.
Female candidates between the ages of 22 and 35 who hold a nursing certificate were to be given consideration for the two-year contract openings and would take home salaries of 2,000 Saudi Riyals (Sh. 91,371).
Those who recently graduated with a diploma in nursing would get a two-year contract paying 3,000 Saudi Riyals per month (Sh. 124,596).
Other benefits include meal allowances of 300 Saudi Riyals and a promise that more experienced nurses will be considered for higher pay.