KENYA TO RESUME SENDING WORKERS TO SAUDI ARABIA IN AUGUST

Saudi Arabia will resume recruitment of domestic workers from Kenya after the August general elections according to Kenyan and Saudi labor officials.

Recruitment of domestic workers will resume after implementations of various provisions of an agreement that was signed by Kenyan Labor CS Phyllis Kandie and her Saudi counterpart Ali bin Nasser Al-Ghafees in May.

According to an official, the provisions include setting up of a specialized training center for domestic workers in Kenya where they will be educated about the traditions and culture of Saudi Arabia, monitoring of employment process, annual vacations, official holidays, maximum working hours as well as ensuring Kenyan domestic workers keep their passports with them.

Kenyan domestic workers will also have full medical cover, right to communication access which include possessing a mobile phone and employers will be required to deposit salaries in workers’ bank accounts each month.

The official added that domestic workers will also be informed of the nature and terms of their work contracts which will be approved by Kenyan ministry of labor and Kenyan embassy.

“This means one will know they will be doing only the mentioned job specified in their contracts and nothing more”, he said.

Kenya’s chief de affairs in the kingdom Mr. Ibrahim Khamis Adan commended the agreement reached with Saudi Arabia saying that rights of Kenyan workers in the kingdom will be safeguarded under the new agreement.

“the reopening up of the Saudi labor market for Kenyan workforce will provide enormous potential for the employment of professionals, skilled, semi-skilled and un-skilled manpower in various sectors of Saudi Arabia”.he said.

Ibrahim Added that Kenyan labor officials will facilitate the departure of workers and also follow up on any labor dispute.

“We are working on an intensive program measures which will ensure protection of rights and benefits of workers and soon we will roll out the plans set by both sides”, he added.

Kenya banned recruitment of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia in 2015 after cases of human trafficking, abuses and exploitation of Kenyans seeking to employment in Middle East increased.