Kenya has announced plans to send 1,500 farm workers to Israel, a move aimed at addressing a significant labor shortage on Israeli farms.
This decision comes in the wake of Malawi sending 221 young individuals to work on Israeli farms, a move that sparked controversy in Malawi. The casual laborers from Kenya will be placed on three-year renewable contracts, guaranteeing a net monthly income of $1,500.
Israel has been grappling with a severe shortage of farm workers, exacerbated by the departure of over 10,000 migrant farm workers, predominantly Thai nationals, since the onset of the conflict with Hamas in early October.
Additionally, Israel has restricted the employment of Palestinian workers, who previously constituted nearly 20% of the agricultural labor force.
Israel’s ambassador in Kenya, Michael Lotem, revealed that Israel is also considering recruiting farm workers from Uganda, and recruitment efforts in Tanzania have already commenced.
Lotem cited the labor shortage as a consequence of approximately 360,000 Israeli reservists being called up for military service since the conflict began, without mentioning the restrictions on Palestinian workers or the departure of foreign nationals as contributing factors.
According to Israel’s agriculture ministry, the country currently needs 30,000 to 40,000 farm workers to address the labor gap.
However, the announcement of Kenya sending workers to Israel has sparked mixed reactions within Kenya, with concerns raised about the safety of the workers.
Criticism has also been directed at the conditions these workers might face in Israel, particularly in light of the recent attack by Hamas that resulted in casualties among Thai farm workers and the death of a Tanzanian agriculture intern.
