By Zablon Oyugi
Kenya is sending 1,500 farm workers to Israel, according to the East African nation’s Ministry of Labour.
Shadrack Mwadime, the ministry’s Principal Secretary announced yesterday that the two countries have inked a deal for mutual benefits where the Kenyan labour would be exported mainly as casual workers to work in Israel’s agricultural fields.
The three-year renewable contract deal, according to Mwadime, has a guaranteed net income of Ksh230,000 ($1,500 or £1,195)per month.
“We will be exporting labour to Israel’s agriculture fields as casual workers following bilateral discussion between Labour Ministry and Israel’s Guri Avocados Managing Director, Mr. Rami Cohen today,” said Mwadime.
The announcement comes nearly two weeks after Malawi sent 221 young people to work on Israeli farms following over 10,000 migrant farm workers, mostly from Thailand, left Israel since the start of the war with Hamas in early October.
According to Mwadime, the initiative would be coordinated through the Kenya National Employment Authority.
“The opportunities number about 1,500 will be implemented by a number of local licensed agencies,” he said.
There are also reports that Israel has also barred Palestinian workers, who made up nearly 20 per cent of the agricultural labour force before the war.
This leaves the country with a need of 30-40,000 farm workers.
Some Kenyans have supported the deal, saying it provides badly needed jobs at a time when Kenya is battling an unemployment crisis and the rising cost of living.
Kenya has an unemployment rate of 5.5 per cent, according to the World Bank data.
In assuring the workers’ safety, Israel’s ambassador in Kenya, Michael Lotem told the BBC that the farm workers would not be placed in areas close to the conflict, and they would have the same protection as Israelis.
