Qatar jobs recruitment: Mutua says successful candidates won’t pay for air tickets

Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua says successful candidates in the ongoing recruitment of Kenyan workers for semi-skilled and menial jobs by an unnamed Qatari company will have their airfare catered for.

The interviews, which began on Friday and will end on Monday, are being conducted in Nairobi by officials from the Middle Eastern company seeking workers across hospitality and service, construction, and technical industries.

Mutua told Citizen TV’s Sunday Live program that the Qatari company will cater for the ‘big costs’ of Kenyan workers’ relocation process such as air tickets and accommodation.

“The Qatari people said they do not want to pay 100% (of the expenses) for workers. From their experience, if a worker pays nothing, they have nothing to lose and after three months they might say they are tired and want to go home,” he said.

“The tickets there (will be paid for) and when you get there you will be given a home to stay and shopping money.”

Among the expenses Kenyan workers selected to work in the Middle Eastern country will have to sort themselves are passport application costs, said Mutua.

“One will foot a small fee to pay for medical cover, and maybe visa costs and a few other items,” he added.

The minister remained tight-lipped about the Qatari company’s identity when asked, only describing it as “a mega company involved in hoteling, medical, construction and agriculture.”

“It is a huge multi-dollar holding company with several companies within it,” he said, adding that salaries are non-negotiable but with annual increments.

Hours before the interview, Mutua bemoaned a high failure rate among hordes of Kenyans who continue to turn up for the ongoing recruitment which targets nurses, kitchen helpers, runners, kids attendants, hotel maintenance technicians, light vehicle drivers, waitresses, and stewarding supervisors.

The minister told a press conference in Nairobi that while over 15,000 Kenyans have shown up in the last three days to compete for the 8,000 positions available, only about five percent are qualifying.