(Jersey) – Kenya has signed a new agreement that will see its skilled workforce recruited to fill job vacancies in the three UK Crown dependencies—Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.
The deal was signed between Kenyan government officials and UK-based recruitment company GR8, marking a significant step toward increasing labor mobility and strengthening economic ties between Kenya and the British Crown territories. The memorandum of understanding was signed during an official ceremony in Jersey by GR8 Chief Executive Officer Lee Madden and Roseline Njogu, Principal Secretary at Kenya’s State Department for Diaspora Affairs.
According to GR8, the agreement establishes the company as a strategic recruitment partner for bringing Kenyan workers into the Crown dependencies. The partnership is expected to ease labor shortages in key sectors including hospitality, construction, childcare, and healthcare.
Roseline Njogu highlighted the wide range of skilled professionals available in Kenya, saying, “We are inviting good employers to come and recruit from Kenya from the talent that we have that is abundant in IT, healthcare, education, engineering and so on.”
Njogu is leading a delegation of senior Kenyan government officials and politicians on an official visit to Jersey. The delegation is expected to hold meetings with key figures in Jersey’s government and business community, including Minister for External Relations Ian Gorst and representatives from institutions such as Highlands College, the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and the Jersey Construction Council.
Kirsten Morel, Jersey’s Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, expressed hope that the partnership would grow stronger and help ensure that Jersey remains a destination that is welcoming and attractive to skilled overseas workers.
GR8 CEO Lee Madden said the agreement gives the company the ability to officially speak on behalf of the Kenyan government when it comes to recruitment partnerships. He emphasized the crucial role that Kenyan workers have played in filling labor gaps, particularly in the hospitality sector, in the years following Brexit.
Madden recalled how the company began working with Kenyan partners five years ago, establishing a close relationship with a college that trained hospitality workers for overseas employment. This early collaboration, he said, helped solve a recruitment crisis that had affected the Channel Islands three to four years ago.
Since then, GR8 has recruited hundreds of skilled workers into Jersey and Guernsey across various industries, with the majority of them coming from Kenya. The workers have played a key role in supporting businesses facing staff shortages, particularly in health care and construction.
The agreement is expected to further deepen the ties between Kenya and the UK Crown dependencies, while offering valuable job opportunities for Kenyans seeking employment abroad.