Kenya and Saudi Arabia agree three-month pilot to review domestic worker recruitment fees
The pilot will test voluntary recruitment fees based on market cost, following a technical annex signed in Riyadh.
Kenya and Saudi Arabia have agreed a three-month pilot programme to review recruitment fees for Kenyan domestic workers seeking jobs in the Kingdom. Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua announced the arrangement after meeting Saudi Arabia's Vice Minister for Labour, Dr Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthnain, in Riyadh.
The two countries signed a letter of intent providing for voluntary recruitment fees based on market cost competitiveness. They also signed a technical annex to the bilateral agreement on domestic workers, first signed on July 5, 2026. The annex provides for streamlined procedures, lower recruitment costs and integrated technology, and tightens rules on contracts between employers and workers.
Mutua said the framework is expected to improve recruitment services and ensure the process complies with approved regulations. The two sides also discussed the pay, welfare and working conditions of Kenyans already employed in Saudi Arabia.
Why it mattersKenyans recruited as domestic workers for Saudi Arabia face recruitment fees that the three-month pilot will review, and the annex sets out how contracts between them and employers are regulated.