Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Many Kenyans in the Middle East, like other migrant workers, said they do what they have to do to survive.
Kevin Ndung’u, a driver in Qatar, has been forced to adapt to the new norm that the coronavirus pandemic has imposed on their environment.
He counts himself lucky to still be in employment even though his work exposes him more to the coronavirus.
Ndung’u, who has been in Qatar for almost 10 years, had just returned from a night shift around 6am when he spoke to the Star.
“I am one of the lucky few who still have a job around here, even though the scope has changed,” he said.
Ndung’u was employed as a public service vehicle driver but after the virus broke in the country, the buses were modified to become ambulances to transport suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases to quarantine.
“The situation is not good here. The number of new infections keeps rising even though the number of fatalities is not high. So, I’m always busy at work because and the bus is big,” he explained.
Ndung’u said having seen firsthand how easy it is to contract the virus and how the patients suffer, he takes utmost care.
“I escaped quarantine by a whisker after one of my roommates tested positive. I had moved out of the employer’s housing programme three weeks before,” he narrated.
Ndung’u said it is mandatory for every person in Qatar to have Ehteraz, a mobile application that shows your location.
“The application indicated that I had not been in the area, so I survived,” he said, “At work, I put on full PPE gear for protection.”
Ndung’u said Kenyans, most of whom are on minimum wage, are forced to pull their resources together or beg for food.
“Most places have closed down; private entities are no longer paying salaries and many people are surviving on their savings. When the savings are exhausted, they beg,” he said.
Millicent, a daytime domestic worker said she hasn’t been working since March and has nothing to eat. Her roommates have been sharing their food with her but she now worries about how long their food will last.
“I am on unpaid leave and my savings are exhausted. Sometimes I am embarrassed to take food from my roommates but I would die of hunger. We eat rice and lentils mostly,” she said.
Some of her roommates still receive food from their employers even though they are on a 50 per cent pay cut which often delays.
“The situation has taken a devastating toll on my family back home who fully depend on me. My father is ailing and my mother survives on food from her small garden,” she said.
About 89 per cent of the 2.8 million people in Qatar - one of the richest countries in the world - are immigrants. The country experienced a devastating hit on its economy due to the surge of coronavirus cases.
It has currently recorded 47,207 cases and 28 deaths. More than 1,500 cases are reported daily with between one and three deaths.
In April, Qatar allowed private companies to terminate contracts or put employees on unpaid leave but insisted that the companies must keep providing food to the workers.
“My company used to provide us with food especially in March and early April. Thereafter, we count on the food when we receive it and that is not guaranteed anymore,” Mercy Maitha, an employee for a cleaning company, said.
Edited by R,Wamochie
