Alfred Mutua, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, has addressed his previous message about career chances for Kenyans in Canada.

Mutua stated on May 16 that he was in talks with Canadian Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser about sending Kenyans to live and work in Canada.

"I was pleased to note that there are job opportunities within various economic sectors across Canada, and Kenyans can travel to Canada as students, tourists, and workers," Mutua said, cautioning Kenyans to be wary of bogus job opportunities.

PHOTO | COURTESY Alfred Mutua

The Canadian Immigration Department would later warn Kenyans of fraudulent jobs targeting them, a statement many Kenyans mistook for a message aimed at Mutua.

He said that the Canadian government was equally dissatisfied with Kenya's media.

"While I was in Canada, agencies told Kenyans that they could get jobs in Canada." The minister there told me they had seen Kenyan agencies promising opportunities in Kenya. We agreed that if I warned about fraudulent jobs in Canada, the Canadian government would follow suit. I issued a warning, as did the Canadians. "We also issued simultaneous statements," the CS explained. 

Mutua stated that discussions are ongoing to allow Kenyans to work temporarily in Canada.  The Foreign Affairs CS has blamed the Kenyan media for spreading misinformation about the situation.

"It is not necessary to be educated to get some jobs; Canada operates on a temporary shift module where a farmer could be employed temporarily this season and also be employed the following season."

He advised Kenyans that applications must be completed correctly to acquire a job in Canada.

"You can't go to Canada and look for work; you must apply for it in Kenya," he explained.

"This is journalistic sensationalism; I went to Canada and met with various ministers, and we discussed business issues, such as exporting avocados and macadamia nuts to Canada." "We also talked about how investors can come here," Mutua stated on Sema Na Citizen.