- Last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended a temporary ban on the recruitment and export of domestic workers to Saudi.
- Most of the affected are young, unemployed and desperate women who are looking for greener pastures in the Gulf countries.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
Survivors of mistreatment in Saudi Arabia on Monday narrated their heartbreaking ordeals as calls mount to ban export of Kenyan domestic workers to the Gulf country.
In a session with National Assembly Labour Committee, the women numbering 10, and who were lucky to come back alive, told the MPs to end the exportation of labour until the sector is streamlined.
The survivors narrated how their Saudi employers not only overworked them with no pay but sometimes turned them into sex slaves in the foreign land.
What started as venture into greener pastures that could transform their lives saw Mercy Halima and Winnie Fatuma (not their real names), who appeared before the Committee chaired by Josphat Kabinga, return with spinal complications and chest problems respectively.
Mercy told the committee that her employment terms were changed upon landing in Saudi and instead she was made to take care of 18 children all by herself.
The 31-year-old mother of two said she had to go without food and literally sleep in the kitchen with no bedding.
“I was told that I would take care of one family with no children but this changed when I was forced to take care of 18 children all alone plus cleaning the whole house,” Mercy said.
“Most of the time there was no phone and nowhere to sleep. I was forced to sleep on the kitchen floor.”
As if that was not enough, her meagre payment was not forthcoming and any attempts to inquire both from the agent and the boss would land her into more troubles.
“I was beaten a number of times for complaining over payment. I can remember one time, the boss heated an electric wire before whipping me,” she said.
Mercy was lucky to be back home to tell her story but with spinal cord complications, which remain as a reminder of her dark days in Saudi.
For Winnie, she came face to face with prostitution after being put in a room where they were literally sold at a fee.
“From the airport we were driven to a holding area where we stayed for months. We were literally on sale. You would be picked for one week and taken back to the holding room, ” she said.
As that happens, the recruiting agencies and the Kenyan embassy in Saudi Arabia were nowhere to be reached as there was no form of contact.
Most had their phones confiscated and those who were lucky to escape are condemned as 'Wambois' with no right to government services, including healthcare.
The survivors urged the Kabinga team to consider banning any further exportation until a clear mechanism is put in place to ensure safety of Kenyans.
Last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended a temporary ban on the recruitment and export of domestic workers to Saudi.
However Ann Kimani from Home Care Society of Kenya – an organisation engaged in pre-deportation training of domestic workers – dismissed calls to ban labour importation, saying the government should instead address the emerging concerns.
The committee was receiving oral submissions from the public and sector stakeholders on the rampant mistreatment of Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia as it starts inquiry into the merciless killings in the Gulf country.
In the recent months, there have been rampant cases of mistreatment, detention and torture of Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf country.
According to government records, 92 Kenyans have died in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries since 2019.
The figure is out of 87,784 employments the Ministry has facilitated in the Gulf region.
On a daily basis, a record 20 Kenyans are repatriated back to the country because of unfavourable working conditions.
The reported distress calls for the same period were 1,908 with 883 in 2019/20 and 1025 reports in 2020/21.
Most of the affected are young, unemployed and desperate women who are looking for greener pastures in the Gulf countries.
The Kabinga led team will, amongst others, carry out comprehensive audit of the violation meted on domestic workers, unfair labour practices and crimes against workers in the Middle East.
The team will equally look into existing legislation, policies and bilateral agreements on employment of domestic workers in the Middle East countries with a view of promoting fair labour practices and protection of migrant workers.
(edited by Amol Awuor)