Kuwait’s government has, through its Interior Ministry, issued a directive that bans the recruitment of domestic workers from Kenya and 26 other countries. Gulf News reported that the measure follows recommendations from Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Public Authority for Manpower.
The countries listed alongside Kenya include Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Central African Republic.
Kuwait’s directive also blacklists domestic worker recruitment from the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Madagascar, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo, Malawi, Chad, Djibouti, and Niger.
At the same time, the country has allowed recruitment from South Africa, Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Nepal, and Senegal, but only for male workers. In some locations, recruitment of female workers has also been restricted, while male intake has been permitted across most of the listed nations.
Reports say the move forms part of Kuwait’s effort to regulate and improve oversight of the domestic work sector. The initiative includes an overhaul of procedures and controls.
