CS Bore with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Human Resource & Social Development Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajh. [Photo: The Standard]
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary (CS) Florence Bore held meetings with authorities in Saudi Arabia on Thursday 12th of January 2023.
The talks held in Saudi Arabia, aimed at finding lasting solutions to issues affecting Kenyan migrant workers in the middle eastern country.
During the talks, Bore called on Saudi authorities to address misgivings surrounding some Saudi Arabia agencies operating in Kenya using proxies, and allegations of contract substitution by some agencies and employers.
“Some Saudi Arabia agencies sign contracts with Kenyan agents but fail to deliver on the contracts,” she noted in a statement.
She also raised the issue of non-reporting on welfare of Migrant workers recruited, as well as little or no response to distress cases.
To avert the escalating cases of mistreatment of Kenyans working in Middle East countries, Kenya and Saudi Arabia also agreed on exploring the possibility of facilitating professional and other skilled cadres to access employment opportunities.
“The two countries agreed on putting in place mechanisms for regular consultations and exchange of views on emerging issues through physical meetings and also leveraging on virtual communication platforms,” said Bore.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Labor ministry shows that more than 80,000 domestic workers were able to secure employment in Saudi Arabia in 2022 alone, making it a key labor migration destination.