An investigative report by the New York Times has exposed how President William Ruto’s family and close allies are making profits from sending Kenyans to work as cheap labourers in Saudi Arabia.
According to the report, President Ruto and his government have deliberately positioned Kenya as a source of cheap labour for Saudi Arabia, and turned a blind eye to the abuse that Kenyans working in Gulf countries are subjected to in order to keep sending more workers in those countries while pocketing millions.
For instance, the report says that recruiters sending workers to Saudi Arabia are required to carry “insurance” to cover the costs of bringing workers home in case of emergencies.
The government, the New York Times states, has then been pushing these recruiters to buy insurance policies from a company known as Africa Merchant Assurance whose major shareholders are President Ruto’s wife Rachel and daughter.
The report quoted a recruiter and industry lobbyist who was identified as Patrick Mburu saying that this company has never paid out a claim to rescue a distressed worker.
The New York Times went on to query Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua who was then quoted as claiming that this lack of non-payment was due to a technicality that he was working to fix.
However, the company, the report went on to state, said it was not aware of any technicality and honours “every valid and documented claim”.
In addition to this, the report exposed how political allies of President Ruto have formed recruitment companies to send Kenyans as cheap labourers in Saudi Arabia. One of those mentioned in the report is Kangundo Member of Parliament Fabian Kyule Muli who co-owns Forbes Global Agencies.
The report showed that last October, this agency advertised 2,100 jobs in Saudi. “At the going rate, Forbes stood to receive more than $2 million [Sh258.58 million at an exchange rate of 129.29 to the US Dollar] for those jobs,” the New York Times reported.
The investigative report went on to expose how top officials in government own recruitment firms. It singled out a group of workers who have recently sued the government over the mistreatment they underwent.
Shockingly, the report stated, their case might be handled by the Solicitor General, who also owns a staffing company according to the report. In addition, the government’s top spokesman also owns a staffing company as well, the report stated.
In shocking findings, the report has further exposed how workers from other countries with the same jobs and qualifications as Kenyans are paid higher salaries and have better protection and labour rights. Kenyans in Saudi have been denied these rights because Kenya has refused to negotiate better terms in order to keep the supply tap running.
The New York Times sampled workers from the Philippines working as live-in maids. These workers earn $400 [Sh51,716] per month. In the event of an emergency, they are assured of a rescue team, a safe house, and a safe return to their home country.
In contrast, Kenyans working the same jobs are paid $240 [Sh31,209]. In the event of an emergency, the Kenyans are guaranteed nothing. The report stated that they are shuffled between the police, and their recruiters and the Kenyan Embassy which is based in Riyadh. Some of these workers end up homeless in the streets in Saudi.
When queried about these disparities, the government claimed that if Kenya tried to negotiate better terms, Saudi employers would reject Kenyan workers and instead go for cheaper labourers elsewhere.
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