Politics and Society
Anger grows over plight of Kenyans in Saudi Arabia
The government of Kenya is under pressure to intervene in the growing number of cases of Kenyan citizens being mistreated while working in Saudi Arabia
Senator Emma Mbura is in the forefront of a campaign for the repatriation of more than 130 Kenyan girls who are either in correctional services’ custody or being held as slaves in Saudi Arabia.
According to Nairobi News, Sen. Mbura attributed some of the blame to the Kenyan Ambassador in the Middle-Eastern country, H. E. Mohamud Ali Saleh, for what she called his failure to address his countrymen’s concerns.
“Our Ambassador in Saudi Arabia has been doing nothing to help Kenyan girls who are suffering in Saudi Arabia. It would be best if President Uhuru Kenyatta recalled him and appoints someone who can effectively tackle the issue,” she said.
Screenshot of Ann Njeri Mwaura, in a recorded plea for help whilst working in Saudi Arabia.
An increasing number of reports of Kenyans in Saudi Arabia working under harsh and inhumane conditions have come to light in recent years. Some cases of mistreatment have reportedly culminated in the death of the victims.
Two weeks ago, an online petition was created to pressurise the Kenyan government to assist Martha Nyaguthii, a Kenyan national in a “vegetative state” at a Saudi hospital under “unclear circumstances”.
