Hiring a Kenyan or Ugandan helper: rules, salaries and languages

A Kenyan or Ugandan helper needs a MOHRE work permit, and Kenya's labour department requires a labour officer to attest a recruit's contract before travel. We found no official Kenyan or Ugandan minimum salary for the UAE; on MaidMatch, Kenyan helpers had a median asking salary of AED 2,500 a month (16 profiles, 29 September 2026). Languages vary by helper.

MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, issues domestic workers' work permits in the UAE. Kenya's labour department is its State Department for Labour and Skills Development, and Uganda's labour ministry is its Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD). Where an official page doesn't answer a question, we say so and name who to ask.

Can you hire a Kenyan or Ugandan helper in the UAE?

Yes, as far as MOHRE's rules go. Its work permit service is for employers recruiting a domestic worker 'from inside or outside the country', and none of the conditions its service card lists mentions the worker's nationality. She needs that permit for the job with you before she starts work. Employing a domestic worker without a work permit for that job is punishable by a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000.

Each country has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), a written agreement between governments, with the UAE, as Khaleej Times reported. Khaleej Times reported on 26 April 2018, citing the WAM news agency, that the UAE and Kenya 'have signed a memorandum of understanding' on domestic employment, and that under the agreement 'only recruitment agencies that are private, registered and licensed in the country are allowed to present applications to recruit Kenyan domestic labour'. Khaleej Times reported on 7 October 2021 that the UAE and Uganda governments 'have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the recruitment of domestic workers'.

Home-country rules change. As of September 2026, we found no Kenyan suspension of sending workers to the UAE since 2024, and no Ugandan ban, but before you recruit from Kenya or Uganda, confirm the current position with the country's labour ministry or its embassy. Our guide to which nationalities can work as maids covers the countries that restrict recruitment.

Most helpers listed on MaidMatch are already in the UAE and ready to work. MOHRE's permit service covers a helper who is already here too: our guide to hiring a helper who is already in the UAE covers consent, the cancellation of her old visa and the change of status, and how to hire a maid in the UAE covers every route.

What are Kenya's and Uganda's rules for recruiting a helper?

For a recruit from Kenya, Kenya's pages and the 2018 agreement, as reported, point to a licensed agency and a contract attested by a Kenyan labour officer before she travels. For Uganda, check the recruitment company on MGLSD's official list, and confirm the route with the ministry. As of September 2026, the two compare like this:

Whichever country she comes from, if you use a UAE recruitment office, check that it is on MOHRE's list of approved domestic worker service centres (opens in a new tab), and ask which agency it works with in her country.

Recruiting from Kenya: attestation, agencies and training

Two terms first: to attest a contract is to have an official authenticate it, and the bond here is security that the employer gives the Government of Kenya. As of September 2026, Kenya's official pages set out these points for a worker recruited from Kenya:

• Her contract is attested before she travels. Kenya's labour department requires a Kenyan labour officer to attest the employment contract of a Kenyan going to work abroad before they travel; the documents include the foreign contract of service form (LD21) and a bond from the employer. Kenya's attestation page (opens in a new tab) lists the rest.
• Check the agency's licence. Kenya's State Department for Diaspora Affairs has an online tool that checks whether a private recruitment agency is currently licensed by Kenya's National Employment Authority (NEA): check the agency (opens in a new tab) before you pay.
• She may need training first. Kenya's labour ministry announced in September 2024 that Kenyan domestic workers' homecare management training would be combined with pre-departure training, cutting the total from 26 days to 14, and that domestic workers who had already completed a contract in a Gulf country would be exempt. Ask the agency whether this still applies.

Whether a UAE family can recruit a Kenyan worker from Kenya without an agency is unclear. MOHRE's permit service lets you recruit without an office, but the agreement, as Khaleej Times reported it, leaves applications to licensed agencies, and we found no Kenyan official page that lets a family skip the attestation. Ask Kenya's labour department before you commit.

Kenya's attestation page describes the step before a worker travels. It doesn't say what applies when a Kenyan helper who is already in the UAE moves to a new employer, so ask Kenya's labour department or the Kenyan embassy.

Recruiting from Uganda: checking the company

Start with the recruitment company. MGLSD monitors Ugandans who work abroad through an online platform, its External Employment Management Information System (EEMIS). Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development runs EEMIS, which lists the recruitment companies the ministry has approved and vetted, each with a validity period, and approved jobs for Ugandans who wish to work abroad. See the list (opens in a new tab) before you pay anyone.

We found no official page that says whether a UAE family can recruit a Ugandan worker without an agency, and we couldn't verify Uganda's rules on training and fees before she travels. Ask MGLSD or the Ugandan embassy in Abu Dhabi before you commit.

Is there a minimum salary for Kenyan or Ugandan helpers?

We found no official Kenyan or Ugandan minimum salary for domestic workers in the UAE. The UAE sets no statutory minimum wage for domestic workers: the Domestic Workers Decree-Law has no such provision, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) said the same in May 2024. So her salary is for the two of you to agree.

Some home countries set a floor for the contracts they verify, such as the Philippines, and it applies only to those contracts. Our guide to minimum salaries by nationality covers each country.

Whatever you agree, the Domestic Workers Decree-Law sets how she is paid. A domestic worker's wages must be paid monthly in UAE dirhams, within 10 days of the due date.

What do Kenyan and Ugandan helpers ask for on MaidMatch?

On 29 September 2026, the 16 Kenyan helpers available on MaidMatch had a median asking salary of AED 2,500 a month, and half of them asked exactly that. Fewer than 10 Ugandan helpers were available that day, too few to publish a figure.

Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile. Her asking salary is the bottom of her range. The median is the middle asking salary in a group, and the middle half leaves out the lowest and highest quarters.

These are asking salaries on one platform on one date, not a market survey or an official figure, and our data doesn't show why groups differ. Agree the salary with her before the paperwork starts. Our salary guide has the full breakdown.

Which languages do Kenyan and Ugandan helpers speak?

It depends on the helper, not her nationality, so ask her which languages she speaks and how well.

Then check the languages your family needs on a WhatsApp video call: our interview questions guide covers video calls, and our guide to choosing a helper explains why skills and experience matter more than nationality.

The law sets a language rule for the contract. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker's contract must be in Arabic with a translation into a language the worker understands, and if the two versions conflict, the Arabic prevails. Make sure she understands it before she signs.

Which documents should you check?

The same papers as for any helper, plus her home country's if she is recruited from abroad. As of 29 September 2026, MOHRE's permit card sets these, among others:

• For a new domestic worker work permit, MOHRE requires that the worker does not already hold a valid work permit and has a passport valid for at least three months.
• MOHRE's service card for a new domestic worker work permit lists a copy of the worker's passport and a colour photograph of the worker among the required documents.
• When the worker is already inside the UAE, MOHRE asks for the worker's tourist visa, if they are on one, or for the cancellation of their previous visa.
• A domestic worker must be at least 18, and MOHRE applies an upper age limit of 60 for a new work permit. MOHRE can exempt a domestic worker who is already in the UAE from its upper age limit if their domestic-worker residence was cancelled no more than three months earlier.

Look at her passport and visa together with her. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker has the right to keep all their official documents, including their passport and ID, and an employer may not hold them.

If she is recruited from Kenya, add the attested contract, and check any agency on Kenya's register. From Uganda, check the company on MGLSD's list. MOHRE's service page (opens in a new tab) has the full permit list, and our guide to checking a helper's references and documents goes further.

How can MaidMatch help?

By helping you find her: you can browse Kenyan and Ugandan helpers, compare the salaries they ask for, watch their video CVs and get in touch with the ones you like. MaidMatch is a free platform for families: they can browse every profile at no cost, with no registration or subscription required. Families contact helpers directly on WhatsApp, through the Hire button on each profile.

Sponsorship is the employer's responsibility; families can manage the visa themselves or ask MaidMatch to connect them with its visa partners. MaidMatch's visa partner offers a two-year employment visa, with the visa, medical test, Emirates ID and insurance handled end to end. Ask the partner who sponsors her on that visa, and what that period covers. Our partners page has the details and the current price.