President William Ruto’s recent claim of 250,000 job opportunities for Kenyans in Germany has sparked controversy with German government contradicting the statement.
During Ruto’s three-day visit to Germany, he made a Labor, mobility and talent-sharing agreement at the Chancellery ceremony in Berlin, a deal which was signed by Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Germany’s Minister for Interior and Homeland, Nancy Faeser.
The agreement specifically includes provisions for Kenyan professionals, IT specialists, and other skilled workers to find employment in Germany, under Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act, which allows labor migration to address worker shortages in specific sector. The deal was designed to align both skilled and semi-skilled Kenyan workers.
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According to President William Ruto statement, he claims that Kenya had secured a labor deal with Germany that would unlock 250,000 job opportunities for Kenyan citizens. During his interview with DW German broadcaster, Ruto emphasized that this agreement was a bilateral focusing majorly on providing employment for Kenyan youth, with the first batch recruitment set to begin in late September 27, 2024.
“This agreement will unlock 250,000 job opportunities for young people from Kenya. That is a bilateral agreement between Germany and Kenya,” he stated.
However, the German government has denied the specifics number. The country through Interior Ministry clarified that no agreement included such a figure and termed Ruto’s claims as “clearly false.”
“This information is clearly false. The agreement between Germany and Kenya does not include any numbers or quotas of skilled workers who will have the opportunity to work in Germany,” the statement reads.
She further clarified that any such agreements would require applicants to follow strict procedures under Germany’s Immigration Act, and the number of Kenyans benefiting from the agreement would depend on their qualifications which will include rigorous shortlisting process.
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The labor deal between Kenya and Germany is a part of Ruto’s efforts to curb youth unemployment issues by creating overseas job opportunities for Kenyans as ‘promised’ by his government.
