A team of Kenyans living in the Diaspora, led by their representative Danson Mukile,
has called on the government to abolish the English assessment test for Kenyans seeking
jobs and academic opportunities abroad. Mukile argued that it was unreasonable and
unrealistic for the government to subject graduates to such tests when they have done
all their exams from primary to university in English and passed. He stated, “We can’t
teach students in English then test them after graduation and pay fees for that. After
passing KCPE, KCSE and even degrees that were all done in English, you are good to go.
Why should you spend thousands of shillings on other unnecessary exams?”
The Washington D.C based Kenyan IT expert also argued that most Kenyans who secure
opportunities in America and other English-speaking countries demonstrate good
understanding of the Queen’s language and have never had problems communicating.
He wondered why the government was using the English test to deny young and
ambitious Kenyans opportunities to secure better jobs abroad when citizens from other
countries like China and India were thriving despite their limited knowledge of English.
In October 2021, the country was shocked when then Health CS Mutahi Kagwe
announced that out of the 300 Kenyan nurses who had applied for jobs with the UK’s
National Health Service, only 10 passed the English test. This failure in the English test
raised questions among Kenyans about the motive of the test, with some arguing it was a
ploy to slash the numbers and only accord the chance to a few.
Mukile now wants the team involved in conducting the tests (Test of English as a
Foreign Language) to explore other options to facilitate Kenyans seeking opportunities
abroad rather than frustrating them with tests. He suggests looking for business and job
opportunities in countries where students don’t study using English as the language of
instruction to ensure everyone is accommodated.
Mukile has been in the country for the last three weeks trying to push and champion for
the interests of Kenyans in Diaspora. He has held a series of meetings with high-profile
individuals to advocate for the rights of the diaspora team. On Tuesday, he met Diaspora
PS Roseline Njogu and Taita Taveta Woman Rep Lydia Haika who doubles up as the
chairperson for Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers Committee of the National
Assembly.
Mukile also wants the government to address other pressing issues for Kenyans in
Diaspora, such as increasing polling stations for the diaspora community and
conducting sufficient voter education for the same. He also wants the government to
address issues like dual citizenship, limited rights, and welfare of workers in countries
like Saudi Arabia and East Africa.
