When Kenya’s government announced the availability of 2,500 nursing positions in Saudi Arabia for unemployed Kenyan nurses, anticipation ran high for a flurry of applications. Yet, despite extensive advertising efforts and promotion of these opportunities, data from the Ministry of Labour revealed a surprising trend.
Of the advertised 2,500 jobs, fewer than 1,800 nurses applied, and only 586 met the qualifications for the positions. The Minister of Labour, Florence Bore, attributed this shortfall in applications to two main factors: the perceived low salary offer and the requirement of a 90-day bonding period through the Private Recruitment Agency overseeing the process.
By February of this year, only 1,000 applicants had submitted their applications, with 500 of them being male. This meant that only 500 of the applications were considered valid out of the 2,500 positions available.
To be eligible, nurses needed either a degree, diploma, or certificate in nursing, with certificate holders also requiring at least one year of experience in a government hospital.
Successful candidates for these Saudi nursing positions would be offered contract-based employment with salaries reaching up to Sh. 195,000, depending on the role. Female applicants aged between 22 and 35 holding nursing certificates would be prioritized for the two-year contracts, with a monthly salary of 2,000 Saudi Riyals (Sh. 91,371). Recent diploma graduates in nursing would receive 3,000 Saudi Riyals per month (Sh. 124,596) under similar contract terms.
Additional benefits included meal allowances of 300 Saudi Riyals and the promise of higher pay consideration for more experienced nurses.
