According to a report presented last year by the ministry of foreign affairs to the national assembly, at least 89 Kenyan domestic workers died in Saudi Arabia between 2020-2021.
The situation has worsened with recent reports indicating that Kenyan domestic workers are tortured and even killed while in line of duty.
An investigation by the Ombudsman on the state of Kenyans living and working in Saudi Arabia revealed how the workers are suffering psychologically and even mentally.
They stated that the Kenyans who work in the country are paid lower wages that people from other countries who work with them in the particular country, meaning they are somehow demeaned compared to their counterparts.
The Kenyan domestic workers are also subjected to unequal timeliness for notice of termination, in that, the employees can determine to whether keep them or terminate them on their terms and not they do not refer to the contract.
This also leads to a lack of clear sanctions for rogue domestic workers.
Further, the report also showed that the workers also undergo abuses like imprisonment before deportation, sexual abuse, discrimination of their race, and even religious intolerance.
Their movement too is restricted and some are even psychologically abused due to the living conditions. The investigation also proved that the workers also face labor exploitation.
Gaps have been noted in the process of recruiting the domestic workers at the National Employment Association missing enough enforcement and legal framework for dealing with the rogue agencies and migrant workers.
The Kenyan embassy at Riyadh at Saudi Arabia also is not fully resourceful as it has inadequate safe houses and no enough manpower to deal with the major challenges.
The commission of Administration of Justice wants the official of the president to initiate a multiagency integrated system for all stakeholders.
This is meant to reduce bureaucracies in the process and also digitalize the registration process hence promoting the credibility of the recruitment and management of the workers by enhancing collaboration, coordination, and cooperation.
By Catherine Njenga