Cases of Kenyan migrant workers detained and jailed in Saudi Arabia have been on the rise recently, according to Haki Africa. They have been receiving a lot of distress calls of Kenyans stranded in foreign nations.
“As we speak, we have already dealt with 30 cases of Kenyans who travelled to the Middle East in search of greener pastures but are stranded,” Mathia Shipeta, a rapid response officer at Haki Africa, told the Star.
Out of the 30 cases, eight have since been concluded, where six Kenyan were successfully repatriated back home. However, two died in detention centres and their bodies were sent back home to their families in Kenya.
Shipeta said most Kenyans who travel to the Middle East in search of greener pastures are women from interior parts of Kilifi and Kwale counties. They are attracted by good packages but sometimes end up with a bad employer.
Shipeta said at least 80 per cent of Kenyans who have travelled to Arab countries for work have been successful and transformed their lives. The other 20 per cent, however, have been unfortunate.
“It is easy for women to travel as domestic workers because in most cases, their would-be employers have already taken care of the travel expenses, including visa, air ticket, training, medical and passport,” Shipeta said.
After taking care of all the expenses, some employers feel they own the migrant workers and are entitled to treat them as they please, he said.
Shipeta said in some cases, Kenyans get into trouble when the employer falls out with the recruiting agency, especially when the employer feels like the worker is not performing as expected.
Getting an exit visa and a replacement proves to be costly to the agents and most Kenyans end up in detention centres.
He said the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh needs to do more to protect Kenyans, especially those in detention centres and jails.
“I honestly feel that the embassy has let Kenyans down. It seems like they are overwhelmed with the workload. Some staff at the embassy in Riyadh seem to have turned a blind eye to Kenyan migrant workers,” Shipeta said.
I honestly feel that the embassy has let Kenyans down. It seems like they are overwhelmed with the workload. Some staff at the embassy in Riyadh seem to have turned a blind eye to Kenyan migrant workers
The organisation has been working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help secure the release of detained Kenyans.
They have also been engaging freelance human rights activists in Riyadh to follow up on the cases of Kenyans in detention.
Shipeta said the embassy should have a rescue home to keep Kenyans facing issues in Saudi Arabia as they pursue their cases, instead of being taken to detention centres.
On August 31, Labor CS Simon Chelugui said the ministry is planning to construct safe houses as a temporary shelter for migrant workers in distress before their transition to another employment or repatriation back to Kenya.
He was speaking when he appeared before the Labour and Social Welfare Committee of the National Assembly, led by Mwea MP Josephat Kabinga, in Mombasa.
The proposal is contained in the National Policy on Labour Migration that the CS presented before the committee.
“The ministry will require support from your committee towards the establishment of these safe houses. We hope this will be factored in in the supplementary budget,” Chelugui said.
A recent report by the ministry found that 93 Kenyans, mostly women, had died in one of the Arab countries since 2019.
“We cannot ignore the fact that some Kenyans travelled to these countries without following the proper channels. They avoided every legal process in Kenya only to start blaming the government later when they got into trouble,” Chelugui said.
