The Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi and the former Chief Justice David Maraga have rendered contrasting positions concerning Kenya’s growing reliance on foreign labour markets, following the renewed debate over Kenyans stranded abroad.
In response to the concerns about the welfare of Kenyans in Saudi Arabia, Mudavadi sided with the government’s strategy to expand employment overseas, insisting that bold, deliberate and forward-looking steps have been kept in place to protect Kenyans.
He was speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly plenary committee on Wednesday.
“We have built clear, structured pathways that ensure Kenyans can pursue safe and dignified employment opportunities overseas”, Mudavadi said, also noting that all licensed agencies will be required to provide free insurance cover to workers following the deregistration of more than 600 rogue recruitment agencies.
He further underscored the creation of the State Department for Diaspora Affairs under the Executive order No.1 of 2023, to advocate for the diaspora rights.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary highlighted the department’s role in the surge of diaspora allowances from Ksh490 billion in 2022 to Ksh650 billion in 2024 with a target of Ksh1 trillion by 2027.
Additionally, he pointed out that more than 430,000 Kenyans have secured verifiable and regulated jobs abroad through new labor agreements since 2023. He also revealed that negotiations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on a comprehensive new labour agreement covering both skilled and semi-skilled workers, are in advance stages.
“It is misleading, careless and sensational for any media outlet to insinuate that the government has at any point, participated in slavery or the exploitation of Kenyans pursuing opportunities abroad”, Mudavadi cautioned.
However, in a contradicting message, the Ex Chief Justice David Maraga, warned that Kenya risks repeating historical injustices under the guise of foreign job placements.
“Our beloved Africa still leaves with the unspoken wounds of losing her children to enslavement centuries ago”, Maraga said. “We cannot, ever in this free Africa, fall prey to that dark greed of shipping off our best across the oceans to build foreign lands on the cheap through suffering and indignity”. He added.
The former Chief Justice emphasized on the need of the Kenyan government to prioritize creating opportunities in the country rather than sending the youths in foreign lands.
“My government will jealously protect our people as our most treasured resource”, he said, adding that the elected leaders should not trade Kenyan citizens as labor to foreign lands.
