Is interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i shifting his continued crackdowns to foreigners? On Tuesday, Matiang’i cited that Foreigners should apply for work permits in their home countries if they want to work in Kenya.
He said the government will not renew work permits before vetting individual holders.
“We will not issue or renew thousands of permits to those people pursuing things like accountant and tour guide among others, which are taught locally,” Matiang’i said.
He spoke at the University of Nairobi during the launch of the Kenya Institute of Immigration Studies.
“This launch provides us with an opportunity to open up more areas of collaboration with all the stakeholders for better migration management,” UoN vice chancellor Peter Mbithi said.
He said migration can have both negative and positive impacts on regional economies depending on the policy of the government of the day.
“It is important therefore for policymakers and practitioners to be equipped with good knowledge that will enable them to harness the vast opportunities that arise from migration,” Mbithi said.
Matiang’i urged stakeholders in the immigration sector to work together to improve services.
“I want to see public relations made compulsory for immigration officers so that they can serve the people better. I want to find them friendly to all people when I am travelling,” he said.
Matiang’i said the government was putting in place a migration governance policy that will enable rapid economic growth by influencing capital and skills inflows. He said the inflows will bridge the gaps in regional economies.
“We are also engaging foreign countries and the policies will favour our people. For instance, South Africa has accepted our professors to apply for 10-year visas,” he said.
The CS defended the crackdown on illegal immigrants, saying visitors must follow the law.
Matiang’i said the complexity of migration and its growing importance to national interests require policies grounded on multidisciplinary research and scientific data to prevent risks associated with migration.
“Recent trends in global migration patterns and processes point to the growing influence of migration on political and socioeconomic issues,” he said.