President William Ruto has praised the English proficiency of Kenyans, ranking them second only to the United Kingdom in global command of the language. Speaking during the launch of new initiatives by the State Department for Diaspora Affairs and the Ministry of Labour, Ruto said Kenya’s workforce is highly sought after due to its education standards, reliability, and minimal need for supervision.
“Our workers are among the best globally. Their discipline and fluency in English set them apart,” the President remarked.
Ruto revealed that over 400,000 Kenyans have secured overseas employment in the past two years, a development he attributed to rigorous government oversight and reforms. These include the deregistration of nearly 900 out of 1,600 private recruitment agencies for non-compliance and malpractice.
To enhance transparency and protect migrant workers, the government now requires all international job offers to be uploaded to a centralized portal. “We must know where they are going, who is employing them, what they are being paid, and the nature of the job,” Ruto said. “This way, we can safeguard their welfare and intervene when necessary.”
The President also celebrated a sharp rise in diaspora remittances, which have grown from KSh 480 billion in 2022 to KSh 594 billion in 2024 an increase of over KSh 100 billion. He credited this economic boost to improved global job placements and the trust placed in Kenyan workers abroad.
Looking ahead, Ruto emphasized the need to embrace multilingualism to expand job prospects further. Speaking on June 19 during the opening of the Third National Executive Retreat in Kajiado, he announced plans to prioritize foreign language acquisition nationwide.
“We are now focused on equipping Kenyans with skills in German, French, Chinese, and Spanish,” Ruto said. “This will be our next frontier in empowering our people to compete in the global labour market.”
He confirmed that the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs is working with institutions to implement language training programs, reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting Kenyans abroad.
