Senators accuse government officials, MPs of running rogue job agencies, exploiting Kenyans abroad

Senators have accused several government officers and Members of Parliament of owning rogue recruitment agencies that leave desperate Kenyans stranded abroad after promising lucrative jobs.

According to the legislators, some officers in the Ministries of Labour and Foreign Affairs, as well as certain members of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Labour, are linked to unscrupulous firms that exploit job seekers.

The allegations followed testimonies from Kenyan migrant workers stranded in Qatar during a visit by the Senate Standing Committee on Trade and Tourism. Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi described how job seekers are

lured by these agencies, some tied to MPs and officials, only to be abandoned abroad.

“During a recent visit to Qatar, I met with Kenyan immigrant workers who raised serious concerns regarding their welfare and working conditions,” Mundigi said.

He noted that the workers reported exploitation by unlicensed agents, unsafe working conditions, wage disparities compared to other nationalities and severe emotional distress.

Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa highlighted the case of Joseph Kiongozi, a Kenyan detained in Saudi Arabia for speaking out over migrant worker hardships. Kiongozi’s wife died shortly after his detention, leaving their child without parents.

“It is a matter of concern that Kenyans in the diaspora, especially in Qatar, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia, have suffered for too long,” Senator Thang’wa said.

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi noted that the exploitation of Kenyans in the Gulf is not new and insisted the government knows the individuals behind these bogus recruitment firms.

“The starting point is to face the bull by the horns and demand a proper audit of these recruitment firms. Who are the owners? We can easily find out,” he said.

Senators called for stricter regulations and urgent government action, citing multiple cases of deaths, injuries and stranded citizens abroad.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei urged Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and his principal secretaries to appear before the House to explain the government’s inaction.

Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute stressed the need to protect the safety, dignity and legal rights of Kenyans in Qatar, including addressing issues like confiscated passports, unsafe living conditions and wage disparities.

In May, Mudavadi stated that his ministry, along with the Ministry of Labour and law enforcement agencies, was working to prosecute rogue agents once sufficient evidence was gathered.

Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua disclosed that 32 recruitment agencies had been blacklisted and that investigations into 153 others were ongoing, targeting firms operating illegally or with expired licences.

Despite these efforts, the senators emphasised that Kenyans continue to suffer overseas, urging President William Ruto to intervene and take immediate and decisive action against the government officers linked to the fraudulent job firms.

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