Fresh vetting for hiring agencies
What you need to know:
- “We want to address the plight of the Kenyans, especially women, who suffer all kinds of mistreatment in the hands of employers in countries such as Saudi Arabia. Even worse, others die,” Mr Ismail said.
- Mr Ismail spoke as it emerged that some 20 Kenyan women are languishing at Caritas Lebanon Migrant Centre after fleeing from their employers in Beirut. Others are in jail after being suspected of committing various offences.
- “She (employer) had accused me of stealing her jewellery and wristwatch. She had to pay for my air ticket after I won the case,” Nyawira, who said she had stayed at the Caritas centre since February told the Nation.
All the 900 agents in the business of securing casual jobs for Kenyan migrants in the Middle East will be vetted afresh.
“We want to review their accreditation to weed out those who don’t have the capacity to carry out the business,” Labour, Social Security and Services Principal Secretary Ali Ismail said on Wednesday.
Cases of Kenyans taken to the Middle East by unscrupulous agents abound. Many face untold suffering at the hands of their employers. The ministry wants to end this menace by re-vetting the agents.
VARIOUS OFFENCES
“We want to address the plight of the Kenyans, especially women, who suffer all kinds of mistreatment in the hands of employers in countries such as Saudi Arabia. Even worse, others die,” Mr Ismail said.
Their bonds will also be raised from Sh60,000 to Sh1 million.
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Mr Ismail spoke as it emerged that some 20 Kenyan women are languishing at Caritas Lebanon Migrant Centre after fleeing from their employers in Beirut. Others are in jail after being suspected of committing various offences.
Caritas provides migrants and refugees with legal counselling as they await the police or courts to clear them for breaking the country’s laws.
The women found themselves at the NGO-run centre after breaching the employment contracts.
“Here at Caritas, I met my fellow Kenyans, some of whom have stayed here for more than six months. I have witnessed some put in prison,” Ms Jane Njeri, 25, from Gachie, Kiambu County, wrote to her relatives.
The letter was delivered last week by Ms Agnes Nyawira who won her case against her employer before the General Security of Lebanon.
“She (employer) had accused me of stealing her jewellery and wristwatch. She had to pay for my air ticket after I won the case,” Nyawira, who said she had stayed at the Caritas centre since February told the Nation.
Njeri had fled from her employer in July over what she describes in her letter as being overworked. She was taken to Caritas by an official at Kenya’s Honorary Consulate in Beirut.
The 20 women are not sure when they will return home as they must wait until their cases are determined. Only then will their employers pay for their air tickets. They are not allowed to keep their cell phones while at the Caritas centre.
Mr Ismail noted that some Kenyans seeking jobs in these countries at times don’t understand contracts they sign because some are written in Arabic. “This has contributed to the problem,” the PS said.
It was later that Ms Nyawira realised she had been hired to work as slave. “The contract I signed was written in Arabic. I could not understand the language but I needed the job. Besides, I did not foresee any problem,” she said.
“And since the buck stops with the Labour ministry, we have decided to weed out all briefcase agencies, which are to blame for the whole mess,” Mr Ismail said.
“The agencies will then have to come with the job seekers to our offices where the contracts will be studied to ascertain their credibility. The job-seekers will then sign the contracts before a labour officer.”
After securing the job, the employee will be required to register their presence with the Kenyan Embassy in the hosting country.
