Kenya halts workers travel to Gulf amid slavery claims
The government also revoked the licenses of 930 recruitment agencies sending Kenyan workers to the region and ordered new vetting
NAIROBI
Kenya suspended on Monday the export of workers to the Gulf and the Middle East, revoking the licenses of all recruitment agencies sending Kenyan workers to the region amid accusations of mistreatment and modern slavery.
"As a government we cannot just watch as our people die in the name of our people working in foreign countries," Labor Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi told a press conference in the capital Nairobi.
Two Kenyan women working as house helpers in Saudi Arabia died in the past week alone.
At least 30 Kenyans were reportedly detained in the kingdom this month after their employment agencies abandoned them.
"Following those reports, which are currently being investigated by the Ministry of Labor, all recruitment agencies licenses have been revoked with immediate effect," said Kambi.
"Consequently any recruitment and exporting of Kenyan workers to the Gulf and Middle East has been suspended until farther notice," he asserted.
At least 930 agencies will be affected by the decision.
The government, which in the past has been accused of turning a blind eye to alleged mistreatment of its workers in the Gulf, is introducing tougher measures to vet foreign recruiting agencies.
"The recruitment agencies are hereby required to re-apply for their licenses and undergo vetting before been issued with a new license," said Kambi.
"Those foreign agencies will not be coming to Kenya but will go through our embassies vetting process," he added.
Kenya has an estimated 90,000 migrant workers in the Gulf, according to the Ministry of Labor.
"Yes I do agree that we need our people to be employed. Our people are looking for greener pasture but again we must have mechanism to protect them," said Kambi.
"That's why we have come in as a government to see how we can protect our people and we are going to protect them," he added.
The Saudi Embassy in Nairobi, meanwhile, denied media claims of modern slavery in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom.
"The Kingdom will investigate the cases to ascertain the circumstances leading to the deaths and alleged servitude of Kenyan migrant workers," it said in a Monday statement.
"All intending to work in the kingdom must go through registered employment recruitment agencies," it added.
