Labour Cabinet Secretary Dr Alfred Mutua is under fire from Members of Parliament over claims of regional favouritism in a recent overseas job recruitment exercise targeting Qatar.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers, CS Mutua was grilled on why a majority of the recruitment activities were concentrated in the Ukambani region specifically Machakos, Makueni, and Kitui counties his political backyard.
“We demand to know why this exercise was conducted predominantly in your region. What is not happening in the rest of the country?” asked Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee. Mombasa Woman Representative Zamzam Mohammed echoed the concern, questioning the criteria used in selecting candidates, stating: “This number is very big, yet you are taking from one county.”
In his defence, CS Mutua denied any regional bias and pledged to present data showing a fair distribution of job offers across different regions. “It is very unfair to demonise one region,” he said. “I can bring a report to this committee on how many people were given jobs and show how the Kamba community ni wachache walibenefit.”
The committee also raised alarm over the increasing number of fraudulent recruitment agencies preying on desperate job seekers. Lang’ata MP Phelix ‘Jalang’o’ Odiwuor accused the ministry of poor communication, saying Kenyans are being conned due to a lack of information. “Have you gone out and told the people which agencies are conning them?” he asked.
CS Mutua admitted the ministry’s communication efforts have fallen short but placed part of the responsibility on the applicants themselves. “It is also the initiative of every Kenyan to do due diligence when applying for these jobs,” he said.
The MPs now want the ministry to publish a vetted list of genuine agencies and partner with lawmakers to run public awareness campaigns.
Out of 6,385 Kenyans who turned up for the exercise in November and December 2024, only 925 secured provisional job offers, with several others claiming they were duped by rogue agents.
