The government has revealed that 283 Kenyan migrants working in the Gulf died in a span of three years beginning in January 2020.
Labour CS gave the statistics before Parliament on Wednesday while responding to questions raised by lawmakers on the status of Kenyans in Gulf countries.
The CS said 185 deaths occurred in the Saudi Arabia Kingdom between January 2020 and November 2022.
She said 48 deaths were reported in 2020, 60 in 2021 and 77 deaths in 2022.
In the United Arab Emirates, 45 deaths were reported from 2020 to December 2022.
Bore said ten of the deaths occurred in 2020, seventeen in 2021 and 18 deaths in 2022.
In Qatar, 53 Kenyan migrant workers died over the same period, 26 of them in 2022.
“The cause of deaths range from illness to homicide and the next of kin were appropriately notified of the reported death cases through the established channels,” Bore said.
The CS said Kenyan migrant workers working in the Gulf are entitled to medical care but those residing there without legal residency permits or runaways who vacate their contracts face challenges in accessing health services.
She said 175 dispute cases were filed by Kenyan migrant workers in those three Gulf countries in 2023 alone.
“A total of 121 cases were resolved through involving parties in conflict and the Saudi authorities where necessary. A total of 97,173 Saudi Riyal were subsequently recovered and paid to the respective parties.”
Bore said conflicts revolved around unpaid wages, change of employer, workload, exit after concluding an employment contract, medical treatment, injury being held in recruitment agencies, accommodation without being allocated employment, runaway employees, residency ID, travel documents and regular extension of contracts.
She said Kenyan workers in the Gulf are mainly employed in the Education, banking, hotel and catering, transport and Agriculture while majority are domestic workers.
“The number of Kenyans you find in Saudi Arabia are 200,000 with 151,687 working in the domestic sector,” Bore said.
The CS was summoned by the National Assembly to appear before the plenary pursuant to Standing Order 42A (6B).
Source-https://www.the-star.co.ke/
Revealed: 283 Kenyan Workers Died in Gulf Countries in Three Years
