Updated 2026-11-09
Kuwait is one of the oldest Gulf destinations for Kenyan workers, dominated by domestic work but with steady demand in cleaning services, hospitality, security and healthcare. It is also the market where the gap between a good employer and a bad one is widest - so this guide leans hard on the law that covers most Kenyans there, and on choosing the route in carefully.
Kenya finalised a bilateral labour agreement text with Kuwait in 2022; its status has shifted over the years and recruitment has been suspended and resumed before. Check the NEA’s current advisories for Kuwait before committing to an offer - a licensed agency will know the current position, and an unlicensed one will lie about it.
Kuwait was the first GCC state to give domestic workers their own statute. Law No. 68 of 2015 grants domestic workers, among other things:
Enforcement is the weak point - the law created a Domestic Labour Department where workers can file complaints, and your employment must run through a licensed Kuwaiti domestic-labour office. Keep your own copy of the tripartite contract (you, the Kuwaiti office, the employer).
Kuwait has a public-sector-style minimum of KWD 75 per month for domestic workers under ministerial decisions reported since 2016, and private-sector listings for Kenyans in 2025-26 commonly show domestic workers at KWD 90-130 (about KES 38,000-55,000), cleaners and hospitality staff at KWD 100-180, drivers at KWD 120-200 and security staff similar, usually with housing and food provided. The Kuwaiti dinar is the world’s highest-valued currency, which is why headline numbers look small next to Saudi or UAE offers - always convert before comparing.
Kuwait has produced some of the worst documented abuse cases of Kenyan domestic workers, alongside hundreds of thousands of uneventful contracts. The difference is rarely luck:
Reported minimums for domestic workers are around KWD 75 per month, with 2025-26 placements for Kenyans commonly in the KWD 90-130 range plus housing and food. Convert to shillings before comparing with Saudi or UAE offers - one dinar is worth far more than one riyal or dirham.
Under Law 68 of 2015: a 12-hour daily cap, a weekly rest day, 30 days paid annual leave, end-of-service pay of one month per year, monthly documented wages, and a ban on passport confiscation - enforced through the Domestic Labour Department, imperfectly.
A bilateral agreement text was finalised and approved on the Kenyan side in 2022. Deployment conditions to Kuwait have changed repeatedly over the years, so check the NEA’s current position before accepting an offer.
No - holding a worker’s passport is prohibited. If it happens, report to the Domestic Labour Department or, for other sectors, the Public Authority for Manpower, and inform the Kenyan Embassy in Kuwait City.
Cleaning-services companies, hotels and restaurants, security firms, drivers and healthcare are the recurring categories, hired on private-sector work visas with housing commonly provided.