- The plea comes at a time when embassies continue to grapple with backlogs for Kenyans seeking travel permits.
- According to teachers who spoke to journalists in Ruiru, hundreds of them visit embassies on a routine basis.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Teachers seeking jobs in first-world countries such as the United States of America have urged the government to expedite the visa application process to ease their travel arrangements.
The plea comes at a time when embassies continue to grapple with backlogs for Kenyans seeking travel permits.
According to teachers who spoke to journalists in Ruiru, hundreds of them visit embassies on a routine basis.
They claimed the visa application process is not only stretched but also bureaucratic as numerous are in place, a situation that has seen some of them miss out on jobs.
Led by Ruth Kiarie, Brian Belfas and Caroline Wanjiku, the teachers expressed concerns that some of their visa applications were cancelled or withdrawn on account of failing to pass interviews.
Speaking during a pre-briefing session before they travel to the USA where they have secured lucrative jobs, the teachers also said that some are repulsed for having ‘illegitimate’ documents.
“The government should intervene to save Kenyans the many jobs they miss for a simple hindrance. More jobs for Kenyans in the US means more remittances to grow our country. The government should give a hand to those who have already secured jobs abroad,” said Belfas.
Their petition to have the government intervene comes days after the US government stated it had expanded the capacity of staff working at the embassy in Nairobi to expedite the processing of Visa applications.
The White House last month said in a statement that part of the agreements reached by the two countries is enhancing consular services to deal with the backlog of visa applications.
Speaking to the travelling teachers, Ambassador Isaiya Kabira who is the Secretary of Investments and Entrepreneurship revealed that the teacher's travel to the US will significantly enhance Kenya’s social-economic development.
“This is a new dawn where the professional destinies of our teachers are redefined and elevated to global heights. We are looking at you as global citizens and not just as Kenyans. The world has decided to come and recruit here and that shows the confidence they have in the talents that we have as a country which we should be very proud of,” stated Kabira.
According to Dr. Peter Ruhiri, the founder, PesuaR International Job Placement Consultancy, over 70 Kenyan teachers will be travelling in the first batch this year following successful recruitment and placements.
Ruhiri said that more teachers will be enrolled in the program next year once more teaching opportunities arise, a move that comes following a policy and regulatory framework regarding teachers’ labour mobility that was agreed upon by the State Department of Diaspora Affairs and the Teachers Service Commission in February 2024.
“We are requesting these teachers to be good ambassadors so that we can be able to get more teachers next year. We shall rely on what they do to ask the US community to recruit more teachers from Kenya. We ask them to work extra hard, to be on their best behaviour to put Kenya on the map,” stated Ruhiri.