Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau now says that Kenyan domestic workers who suffer abuse in Saudi Arabia are not submissive.
Kamau noted that working in such countries requires humility that is not found in Kenyan domestic workers.
Speaking on Tuesday during a members of National Assembly induction, the PS said countries like Saudi Arabia have ancient traditions around housework.
"There are places that culturally, the humility needed for domestic workers is not one found in our people. Sometimes our people will not be so subservient and when they go to these countries they are under contract like Saudi Arabia," Amb Kamau said.
"Their traditions around housework are very ancient. So you find that the people who suffer the terrible beatings and abuse are usually of that category."
He went on to say that Kenya has over 100,000 other Kenyans working in the same country but doing different jobs and they have no problem.
Kamau added there is a problem and it is time we start asking questions on whether the country is exporting the right category of people for domestic work.
"But in that same country we have over 100,000 Kenyans working in different capacities, hotels, transport and taxis, we have no problem.
"We have to ask ourselves, are we exporting the right category of personnel? and do they have the right capacity and training to understand that culture before they leave and go and work there? We have a problem there," he said.
His remarks come at the backdrop of rising claims of mistreatment on Kenyans in Saudi Arabia.
Deaths have also been reported in some instances.
