Seven countries in East Africa and the Horn of Africa (EHoA) have met in Mombasa, Kenya, to discuss ways that would protect migrant workers and ensure that labour migration promotes social development in the region.
The stakeholders spoke on the use of social dialogue to tackle issues affecting migrant workers, strengthen regional cooperation, share best practices, and provide strategic guidance on labour migration governance.
Speaking in Mombasa, Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection Alfred Mutua said the government has been very busy passing bills that would ensure there are favourable labour migration policies.
The CS warned crooked agencies that have been luring people that they would travel abroad for employment, saying the Government would carry out a vetting process of all agencies involved in international labour migration and that the Ministry would soon publish a list of the registered agencies after a serious vetting.
He further urged people to be vigilant when they find an agency that wants to sign them out to go overseas, asking them to do their due diligence, visit the National Employment Agency and confirm if the agency is registered, and do some research before giving out money.
“The government will not allow anybody to be conned. If a registered agency has taken your money and you fail to travel, you will get back your money. For the ones who do not give back the money, we will take them to court,” he said.
He added that those supposed to travel abroad would also be trained by the government to ensure they are well guided and know what to do when they go overseas.
“Some of these recruitment agencies are con artists and that is why we want to remind the people to be vigilant and take responsibility in safeguarding their resources when looking for jobs. If you give out your money to an unregistered agency, you have opened yourself up for conning,” he said.
Mutua noted that the government has also started bilateral agreements to negotiate on suitable terms that would protect migrant workers.
He said there is a need for collaboration and social dialogue for players to work together and be able to sort out issues before they arise.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director General Gilbert Houngbo said labour migration across international borders is a critical driver of economic and social development in East Africa and the Horn of Africa (EHoA) region, where millions of workers seek employment opportunities beyond their home countries.
Houngbo noted that according to the 2022 ILO estimates, there were 167.7 million migrants in the global labour force.
However, challenges such as fragmented and weak labour migration governance, lack of coordination, unfair recruitment practices, skills mismatch, limited access to social protection, and limited freedom of association continue to put migrant workers in a vulnerable situation.
“In light of this, the third LMAG meeting will focus on the role of social dialogue in improving labour migration governance and discuss how best we engage governments, employers, and workers’ organisations to address these challenges and ensure safe, regular and orderly labour migration in the EHoA region,” he said.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), through the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) phase two programme (2022-2026), being co-funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), organised the third high-level Labour Migration Advisory Group (LMAG) meeting from 09 to 11 April 2025 in Mombasa.
The programme strengthens the capacities of countries in the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) region to govern labour migration through evidence-based policies, skills development, and active engagement of social partners.
The meeting, themed “Enhancing the role of social dialogue in improving labour migration governance in East and the Horn of Africa”, aims to strengthen regional cooperation, share best practices, and provide strategic guidance on labour migration governance through inclusive social dialogue.
Moreover, the meeting will highlight the importance of tripartite collabouration to ensure labour migration contributes to sustainable development in the region.
The workshop brought together 45 senior officials from the Ministries responsible for labour and employment and national statistics offices, as well as social partners and private employment agencies from Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. High-level regional counterparts, including the African Union Commission (AUC), East African Community (EAC), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Business Africa and ITUC-Africa, will also participate.
By Chari Suche
