President Ruto in Germany to Seek Jobs for Kenyans

President William Ruto is in Germany to explore employment opportunities for Kenyan citizens in the European nation.

Addressing a congregation in Sotik, Bomet County, Ruto said his decision was prompted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to Kenya in May, during which Scholz unveiled plans to welcome 250,000 Kenyan professionals, skilled laborers, and semi-skilled workers to address Germany's significant labor needs.

"I was in Saudi Arabia, the German chancellor visited Kenya a few months ago, and tonight I am heading to Germany because he committed to providing employment opportunities for 200,000 Kenyans, and I need to organize for that. We also have agreements with the French president and leaders from around the world," stated the president. Ruto emphasized that youth employment is vital in mitigating the escalating cost of living and pledged to continue pursuing international labor agreements.

He told the congregation that both he and Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore are actively working to establish agreements that would enable Kenya to send 3,000 workers abroad every week.

"Alongside Bore, we are entering into bilateral labor agreements to export Kenyan labor. Our objective is to send between 3,000 to 5,000 individuals overseas every week to generate income for our country's transformation," President Ruto explained.

However, he did not specify the government's timeline for commencing the deployment of Kenyan workers abroad under these agreements.

President Ruto also dismissed critics who have questioned his numerous foreign trips since taking office in September of the previous year, asserting, "When I leave the country, it's not for tourism; it's to work for Kenyans. I understand why I was elected."

Furthermore, Ruto recently announced that he had reached agreements with American tech giants such as Amazon, Intel, and Google during his US-Kenya roadshow in September. These agreements are expected to create thousands of digital job opportunities for Kenyan youth, although he did not provide specific details regarding the number of jobs each corporation pledged to offer.

This article originally appeared on Capital FM.

Image via Garowe Online.

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