Labour Cabinet Secretary nominee Florence Bore has revealed how she plans to address the plight of exploited migrant Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia if she is approved by the National Assembly.
Speaking on Saturday October 22 before the Appointments Committee, Bore stated that her first order of business would be to make sure that all migrant workers leaving Kenya for Saudi Arabia undergo mandatory pre-departure training and cultural orientation.
According to the CS nominee, this will provide an opportunity to forge ties between Kenya and Saudi Arabia, as migrant workers will gain a greater understanding of the culture and characteristics of the people they will meet abroad.
“The other proposal is to ensure that there is pre-departure training for these workers. Some of them go to Saudi Arabia without basic skills. They don’t even know the language so they can’t communicate with their employers,” she told the Committee.
“If they don’t go through this training they may not be able to do household activities, or also receive basic instructions and this might prove problematic. No Kenyan domestic worker should go out there without training.” She stated.
Bore further stated that the National Assembly has Ksh. 60 million for the construction of a safe house where Kenyan workers could seek refuge in the event of abuse.
She added that a portion of the Ksh. 60 million will be used to hire more labor attachés for the Gulf State, noting that there is currently only one such representative from Kenya in Saudi Arabia.
“In Saudi Arabia we have one labour attachee that handles over 210,000 Kenyans spread across the State so part of that money will go towards employing about 10 labour attachees who we will station across Saudi Arabia so that they are able to handle any abuse cases,” she said.
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