Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Alfred Mutua said on Monday that he has gathered “mind-boggling” details from representatives of Saudi employment agents.
In a meeting with the recruitment agents, Mutua revealed that the information paints a “different story from the blame-game trending in the media channels”.
“The meeting was informative with complex mind-boggling revelations and a cry for help,” Mutua Tweeted after a meeting with the agents.
The new Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS is scheduled to travel to Saudi this week to meet the country's authorities as part of the government's efforts to address the plight of Kenyans.
There have been chilling details about the experience of Kenyan workers especially young girls being tortured and killed by rogue employers in Saudi Arabia, triggering a national uproar.
“My mission was to understand the issues so that as a government we can ensure that Kenyans in the Diaspora are safe and sound,” Mutua said of the meeting with the agents.
Mutua said the government will do everything possible to get to the bottom of the issues the agents raised saying “we must keep our citizens working outside the country safe and sound”.
“The government will also facilitate the recruitment agencies to conduct their business successfully for the benefit of Kenyans,” Mutua said.
Mutua, who has vowed to take immediate steps to address the plight of Kenya domestic workers in Saudi, said he will leave no stone unturned in his mission to get to the bottom of the matter.
“I will be travelling to Saudi Arabia this week to meet the authorities and Kenyan Diaspora with a view to gathering more information that will enable me to institute long-lasting solutions to the challenges faced by Kenyan workers,” he said.
But former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko, who has been championing the rights of Kenyan workers in Saudi, urged Mutua to also meet the victims to conclusively deal with the matter.
“HE Waziri(CS) that is a one-sided story from the agents you now need to listen to the victim's story as well,” Sonko Tweeted in response to Mutua.
