Agency sends 17 men to work in Saudi

SEVENTEEN people jetted out of the country yesterday to work in Saudi Arabia. The group of men left Mombasa for Nairobi on a 3pm flight. They then took off from the JKIA at 8.25pm to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. According to Al-Khaleej Enterprise, a recruiting agency in Mombasa which secured employment for the group, the 17 will be working in the Saudi Arabia’s hotel industry and not as domestic workers.

The youth aged between 25 and 35 years come from Mombasa, Likoni, Malindi and Nairobi. “This group will join Kenyans who are working at the Makka Clock Tower Fairmont Hotel. The first group left two months ago and they are doing very well,” said Al-Khaleej director Said Mbarak said.

He said the agency has ensured Kenyans who get employment through them are guaranteed medical cover, insurance cover, food, accommodation, transport and a return ticket every two years. “The youth have signed a well defined contract. We follow up to ensure none of our people are subjected to any kind of suffering,” said Mbarak.

“We don’t deal with domestic workers and we ensure that the company taking our people adheres to our regulations." This comes as recruiting agencies are being accused of subjecting Kenyans to suffering through dubious employment deals in Arab countries. The government barred Kenyans from seeking jobs as domestic workers in the Middle East after an increasing number reported being mistreated by their employers.