Former Chief Justice David Maraga has strongly criticized President William Ruto's government over its labour export program, particularly concerning jobs in Qatar reportedly paying up to Ksh200,000 per month. Maraga vowed to end the program if elected president, calling it "modern-day slavery" and arguing that the government should focus on creating opportunities at home.

• Maraga described the labour export as "against the very nature of elected governance," emphasizing concerns about a "depletion of Africa’s best talent."
• The criticism follows a New York Times article exposing alleged abuse and mistreatment of Kenyan workers in Gulf nations, with recruitment agencies reportedly profiting $1,000 (Ksh129,950) per worker.
• Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua dismissed abuse claims, highlighting high earning potential, such as 100 nurses for Qatar earning up to Ksh200,000, with projected 100,000 to 250,000 Kenyans securing jobs abroad next year.

Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has refuted claims that Kenya is a human trafficking hub, following a controversy involving 153 Palestinians who traveled from Gaza to South Africa via Nairobi.

• 153 Palestinians from Gaza traveled to South Africa through Nairobi on a mysterious chartered flight.
• Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi stated that the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority had proper records of the aircraft.
• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered a probe into the incident after the group initially faced entry issues at OR Tambo International Airport.

Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi has vehemently denied allegations by the New York Times implicating the Kenya Kwanza administration and President William Ruto's family in a 'slave trade' involving Kenyans sent to Saudi Arabia.

• Mudavadi stated the government has taken "bold, deliberate, and forward-looking steps" to safeguard Kenyans abroad, including the deregistration of over 600 rogue recruitment agencies.
• The New York Times article specifically highlighted the plight of unwed Kenyan mothers in Saudi Arabia and alleged that the President's wife and daughter were major shareholders in one of the implicated recruitment agencies.
• The Foreign Affairs CS emphasized the establishment of the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, which has seen an increase in diaspora remittances from Ksh490 billion in 2022 to Ksh650 billion in 2024, with a target of Ksh1 trillion by 2027.