Kenyan Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia are Underpaid and Abused: Report

The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) has released a new report detailing the woes of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

The commission established that Kenyans employed as housemaids in the Gulf state are not only underpaid, but also their working conditions are dire.

"There are gaps in the Bilateral Agreement including; Kenyans being paid lower wages in comparison to their counterparts doing the same kind of work from other countries, unequal timelines for notice of termination of employment, and a lack of clear sanctions for rogue domestic workers," the report states.

In addition, the workers face different forms of abuse including passport confiscation, imprisonment ahead of deportation, sexual abuse, racism, religious intolerance, labor exploitation, psychological abuse, and movement restriction.

CAJ further identified gaps in the recruitment process of domestic workers, where it was established that the National Employment Authority (NEA) lacks sufficient legal and enforcement frameworks for dealing with rogue agencies and migrant workers.

It was also found that the time allocated for pre-departure training of Kenyan migrant workers is 189 hours against the set 200 hours.

The report further shows that the Kenyan embassy in Riyadh is underequipped, with a lack of safe houses and continued transfer of sponsorship cited as the major challenges.

The commission also found that Kenya’s labor laws do not refer directly to labor exportation, thus cannot protect the workers.

CAJ, which is chaired by Florence Kajuju, wants the Office of the President to initiate a multi-agency integrated system for all stakeholders.

It argues that this will ensure the digitalization of the recruitment process, reduce bureaucracies in the process and promote the credibility of the recruitment and management of migrant domestic workers by enhancing interagency collaboration, coordination, and cooperation.