Kenya’s plan to send skilled workers abroad to countries like Qatar, hailed as a solution to high unemployment, may be causing more harm than good. While the government hopes these workers will remit funds back home, the irony is that Kenya is losing its best talent, critical for driving domestic development. Worse, the jobless workers who go abroad won’t be contributing taxes to the local economy or aiding in any local progress, while those who remain behind are left shouldering higher taxes to sustain an economy struggling without its skilled workforce.
To begin with, sending skilled workers abroad brings the risk of brain drain. It is notable that countries like Qatar and UAE usually demand for highly trained and skilled technicians. This often sees Kenya lose valuable expertise in vital sectors such as manufacturing, health, IT and construction. Funnily enough, these sectors fall under the SDGs set for development on a global level. They are the foundation upon which the government plans to oversee development as the Big 4. And yet Kenya sends abroad the very best in these sectors instead of replacing the aging economy.
Indeed, Kenya has invested heavily in developing its skilled workforce. Thus, letting these workers leave means that the country won’t reap the benefits of its investment. Currently, some industries are facing labor shortagesthat are threatening production. This has seen some industries such as horticulture and metalworks shrink within Kenya. When there are fewer skilled workers around, it gets tougher to fix things like roads or make tech improvements. It becomes apparent when you realize Kenya depends on foreign workers to develop roads or construct train tracks. This eats away at the little domestic expenditure the country can raise for development. Not only are foreign workers costly, but they might not prioritize the long-term interests of Kenya, like training locals or creating jobs. The more technicians leave, the more the country depends on foreign solutions, leading to a vicious cycle of brain drain.
Another worrying issue is the skills gap. As mentioned above, when the best skilled laborers leave, few workers who can train the next workforce are left. This then results in a situation where our factories cannot trust the next crop of workers to do right without the needed experience. The workers on the other hand fail to qualify for jobs they have trained for due to lack of experience. Skilled workers leaving the country impact schools and training centers by taking away the experienced instructors who teach students. In some dire situations, trainers compete with newly-minted professionals causing excessive competition for available job vacancies in Kenya.
Furthermore, less skilled workers results in the Kenyan economy suffering in tax collection. Technicians abroad no longer pay taxes locally or spend their income on Kenyan goods and services. Money sent home by people working abroad is helpful, but it doesn’t have the same lasting impact as local businesses and jobs do.
Additionally, delays in infrastructure projects like the affordable housing project or new highways are worrying. Skilled technicians are crucial if these projects are to be completed on time and at very high standards. Without them, delays drive up costs and stress the budget. This puts added pressure on government by the investors who see the failure to deliver as indicative of corruption.
Moreover, Kenya’s long-lauded ability to compete globally could also fall. The professionals needed to drive innovation and help Kenyan industries maintain international standards will be few to none. Consequently, the country’s goods and services could decline. In turn, other top exporters will turn to our fiercest competition. The damage to our economy will be incremental, losing on revenue from exports. The impact will be magnified when these very exporters import their goods into our country in an effort to outsell the low quality products.
Last but not least, our education system is being threatened. With more skilled workers leaving, a deficit of qualified instructors as well as training programs is emerging. This puts more pressure on an already struggling education system, making it tougher for new graduates to keep up with the fast-changing job market.
It’s almost poetic, isn’t it? Kenya, in a bid to fix its unemployment crisis, sends its brightest and most skilled workers abroad, hoping they’ll remit their hard-earned cash back home. The country’s leaders believe overtaxing the remaining citizens will fill the void left by those who left for better opportunities. It’s a classic case of “let’s take our best talent, send them away, then overburden those who stay and expect them to pick up the slack.” It’s as if the government is hoping the laws of economic logic will somehow bend in their favor. They are ignoring the harsh reality; without these workers, local industries relying on their expertise are left in the lurch.
And let’s not forget the irony; those lucky enough to go abroad won’t be paying a cent of taxes back home. They also won’t be contributing to any meaningful progress in the local job market. They’re building someone else’s economy while Kenya continues to flounder. And the remaining citizens? They will carry the weight of an overburdened economy with rising taxes and fewer job opportunities to show for it. If you wanted a perfect example of a circular disaster, this would be it.
In the end, sending away the people needed for progress while overtaxing those left behind leaves Kenya trapped in a cycle of irony.. The government’s plan to resolve unemployment by exporting its talent is like trying to fill a leaking bucket with more water while the hole just keeps getting bigger. If we really want to develop, we need to change our approach. Keep talent at home, invest in local industries and create jobs to break this cycle. Because as things stand, this “solution” is nothing but an illusion.
