Advertisement
Govt announces new minimum pay for Kenyans working in Saudi Arabia
16th November, 2025 03:33 PM
Kenyans employed in Saudi Arabia are expected to receive a pay increase following the Middle Eastern nation’s announcement of a new minimum wage for all employees.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, November 16, 2025, the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh revealed the new update, urging workers to confirm implementation of the new minimum salaries with their respective employers.
“The Embassy wishes to inform all Kenyan workers that, effective February 2026, the Government of Saudi Arabia will implement a minimum salary of SAR 1,000 per month for all workers. This is in line with ongoing labour reforms following changes to the Kafala system,” the statement read.
Effective next year, each worker working in Saudi Arabia is set to earn a minimum of about Ksh34,455 per month.
This comes even as the government is under fire over claims that it has failed to provide diplomatic assistance to stranded mothers in the Kingdom.
The new salary structure is set to take place starting February 2026 as part of the Kingdom’s ongoing labour reforms following changes to the Kafala system.
The Embassy further said, workers have been advised to raise issues promptly to ensure compliance while also safeguarding their rights under the revised labour regulations.
Saudi Kenyans boost
Previously, Saudi Arabia’s minimum wage largely depended on the worker’s nationality, with Saudi nationals in the private sector enjoying a minimum wage of around Ksh137,822.
Meanwhile, Saudi nationals in the public sector are entitled to a minimum wage of approximately Ksh103,366.
However, for foreign workers, there was no official minimum wage previously, meaning workers, including Kenyans, were at the mercy of their employers as far as their earnings were concerned.
In October 2025, the Saudi Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development also announced the launch of a new standardised contract to protect workers and streamline processes to attract global investment.
The initiative introduced new procedures for documenting an employment contract under a new enforcement model to reduce wage-related disputes and boost transparency in the workplace.
But the government through Diaspora Affairs PS Roseline Njogu, however, disputed this notion, insisting that Kenyans in the Middle Eastern country failed to properly utilise channels accorded to them through diplomatic efforts by the two nations.
