Kenyan workers dying abroad are being buried without their families' consent, rights lobby warns

The government has come under sharp criticism following claims that Kenyans who die while working overseas are increasingly being buried abroad without the knowledge or consent of their families.

The International Centre for Policy and Strategy (ICPS), a human rights lobby group, accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of neglect, saying that embassies have failed to adequately address the plight of Kenyan migrant workers, particularly in Arab nations.

According to ICPS, many workers in the Gulf face exploitation by rogue recruitment agents as well as inaction from embassy officials, leaving some to die under unclear circumstances and later interred without their relatives being informed.

The most recent case involved Jesca Ziro, a Kenyan woman who died in Saudi Arabia in what has been described as a suspicious manner. She was buried there alongside five other Kenyans without the consent of her family, a move the lobby says contravenes labour laws.

Speaking in Madamani village, Ganze Constituency, Kilifi County, after visiting Ziro’s family, ICPS officials and local leaders demanded urgent reforms. They warned that failure to act could spark a diplomatic row.

Alex Mwanza, ICPS Director, said, “It is disheartening that the very diaspora office informed me where Jesca was buried, only to reveal that five other Kenyans were also laid to rest there. The government must ensure embassy officials take responsibility instead of idling, while families only learn later that their loved ones have died. It is their duty; why are they not doing their jobs?”

Former Kilifi County Assembly Speaker Teddy Mwambire also challenged the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, to provide answers.

“Why is this happening to Kenyans who travelled abroad legally? We want the government to come up with a clear framework where chiefs and local elders educate young people before they seek jobs abroad. Recruitment agents must have transparent agreements so that next of kin understand what is in the contracts. We do not want workers signing documents blindly without knowing the risks,” he said.

Mwambire added that many Kenyans are promised decent employment but end up doing menial tasks under harsh conditions once they arrive.

Ziro’s widower, John Bejah, expressed frustration with the state’s handling of labour migration.

“The government told us that young people would find jobs abroad and even marketed the opportunities. But what safety measures were put in place? Was the priority to safeguard their lives or just to collect taxes? Now families are left in pain while the community suffers losses. For those still planning to travel, what security is there for them?” he asked.

The outcry comes days after another family in Kirinyaga County demanded justice when their relative was buried in Saudi Arabia despite having paid over Sh400,000 in fees demanded by authorities there.

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