Over 10 years ago, the plight of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia became a regular feature on Kenyan mainstream media. TV and Radio stations covered disheartening stories of the plight face by both young and older Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia that were subjected to inhumane working conditions as well as physical and mental torture. Fast forward in 2023 in a new government and leadership era, the same stories have somewhat become common place and normalized as the situation gets dire.
The Cabinet secretary for foreign and diaspora affairs, Dr Ezekiel Mutua has seemingly braced himself for the tremendous task of alleviation the plight of Kenyan domestic workers in the Middle East. Taking the bull by it’s works is a big task but opening up channels for communication has been his first priority task. The toll free line will be used to raise alarm and alert the Kenyan government officials of any matter arising from working conditions or threat in any form to Kenyan migrant workers there.
The other critical matter that will be daunting for CS Mutua is the issue of the recruitment agencies in Kenya. Some of these rogue recruitment agencies are in cohorts with human traffickers network that put unsuspecting Kenyans looking for domestic work placement in Saudi at risk of slavery and loosing their lives.
In some cases, the CS has pointed to the fact that some Kenyans have gone to gulf countries and involved themselves with illegal and illicit activities. “There are some Kenyans brewing chang’aa in the gulf” CS Mutua claimed in a recent interview. It is imperative however to realize that because of lack of employment opportunities in Kenya, the desperation to look for whatever other opportunities and whatever cost is the key driver to this crisis and eventual plight suffered by fellow Kenyan and therefore, we need to address the root cause with urgency as a matter of Key government priority in creating employment for its people.
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