Nairobi, May 25 -- Kenya's remittance inflows from Saudi Arabia have collapsed by more than half following the Gulf nation's rollout of a skills-based foreign worker permit system that has disrupted earnings and cash transfers from thousands of Kenyan migrants.

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data shows inflows from Saudi Arabia fell to $46.98 million (Sh6.1 billion) in the January-March period from $98.67 million (Sh12.8 billion) in a similar period last year.

The decline marked a sharp 52.38 percent drop, translating into a loss of $51.68 million (Sh6.7 billion) in remittances within a single quarter.

This has pushed Saudi Arabia behind the UK, Australia, Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in diaspora cash sent home to Kenya, sig...