Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

Kenya, Saudi Arabia to meet over workers security

Kenya, Saudi Arabia to meet over workers security

The Ministry of Labour Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui will travel to Saudi Arabia within the next 30 days to meet his counterpart and discuss the pressing issue of the safety and wellbeing of Kenyans working there.
Chelugui said that he will be meeting the Saudi Arabia minister for employment and officials from the Kenyan embassy there and look at the employment relationships as well as terms and conditions that Kenyans are facing.

Speaking during a discussion at a local TV station on Wednesday evening, Chelugui said that there is an average of 97, 000 Kenyans working in Saudi Arabia adding that Cabinet passed a resolution to increase labour attaches in that country to seven from the current one person since the country is vast.

“One of the objectives is to engage deeper on the protection of our migrant workers and we need assurance on payment, basic issues like leave days, flexibility of the contracts so that in the event of any challenge between employee and the employer, the employee is allowed to change and get another employer,” said Chelugui.

Chelugui said that 97 Kenyans have died in Saudi Arabia in the last three years and some of them were not related to employment issues with some being due to natural issues and others due to sickness.

“We have requested for postmortem results and through our ministry of Foreign Affairs we are following up and we want to know the cause of the death of our 30 women who have died there,” said the CS.

On reports that 200 Kenyans are in deportation camps, Chelugui said that some of neighboring countries are reported to have 40, 000 of their people in deportation camps in Saudi Arabia so the government has taken note of this and the challenges that people go through while looking for opportunities and a source of livelihood and it is taking the right actions to assist these people.

“We have renegotiated our existing labour agreement with Saudi Arabia and we are now on the final stages of the same,” said the CS.

Chelugui said that they have introduced pre-departure training for home care workers and the handbook has been developed and it is given to the migrant workers before they leave the country and also the recruitment agencies have been sensitized on the same.

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria said that he worked in Saudi Arabia as a professional consultant for 10 years. He advised that learning the local language is important as it makes communication and understanding between the employee and employer quite easy.

“In the first two years it was very difficult for me to work there but once I learnt the local language I was able to cope well with the situation,” said Kuria.

Faith Murunga who survived being burnt with hot water by her employer in Saudi Arabia said that there are many Kenyans waiting for deportation and it is very hard for them to come back home since they have escaped from some sinister employers who were torturing them and the employers come up with allegations that they stole from them so the employees are taken to jail.

“We would like to see a situation where, if there are such allegations of theft, both the employer and the employee should be called to give their side of the story since there is no way the employee can be accused of stealing gold and there is no evidence or exhibit to prove the same,” said Murunga.

Lorna Jerop who has worked in Saudi Arabia said that is not all gloom since she had a good stay there making a good income.

Jerop said that a house care worker on contract earns and average 900 Saudi riyal which translates to roughly Shs.25, 000 but she was able to move from different employers and could earn average of 75, 000 per month that is 2, 500 riyals.

“When I first arrived in Saudi Arabia I worked in the first house for six months and then I ran away, luckily I moved from one employer to another finding better paying opportunities and I was able to work there for four years,” said Jerop.

She advised that the fees that agents get from employers of around Shs.300, 000 makes the employers feel like they bought the employees advising that the money paid by employers to bring employees to Saudi Arabia should be reduced to around Shs.150, 000 and the salary increased to Shs.45, 000.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
×