The country, a top destination for Kenyans working in the Gulf, recorded 166 deaths, the most out of the nations within the region.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi on Wednesday, July 10 revealed shocking statistics regarding the death toll among Kenyans working in the Gulf States since 2002, while appearing before the Senate.
The Prime CS, who doubles up as the CS for Foreign Affairs, revealed that across the Gulf States, 316 Kenyans have lost their lives over the past 12 years, revealing the daunting challenges that come with seeking employment opportunities abroad, especially in nations such as Saudi Arabia.
The country, a top destination for Kenyans working in the Gulf, recorded 166 deaths, the most out of the nations within the region.
An image of Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh, at night. /FILE
It was followed by Qatar with 58, the United Arab Emirates with 51, Iraq with 25, Bahrain with 10, and Kuwait with 6. However, no Kenyan was reported to have lost their life while working in countries such as Oman and Iran
“The records we have show that the total number of Kenyans who have lost their lives in the Gulf region since 2002 to date is 316,” the Prime CS remarked.
Despite the high number of deaths, Saudi Arabia remains a primary destination for Kenyan workers, with 80,000 domestic workers hosted in 2022 alone, according to Labour Ministry records.
Geoffrey Kaituko, the Labour Principal Secretary, previously told a Parliamentary Committee that over 170,000 Kenyans are currently employed across various Gulf states, evidencing the scale of Kenyan migration to the Middle East region.
However, Mudavadi, while responding to the Senate, revealed that 416,548 Kenyans are currently working in the Gulf region: 310,266 in Saudi Arabia, 66,025 in Qatar, 23,000 in the UAE, 8,000 in Bahrain, 5,392 in Oman, 3,515 in Kuwait, 200 in Iran and 150 in Iraq.
In response to these deaths, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has outlined comprehensive measures aimed at supporting the families of the deceased.
For instance, upon receipt of a report of a Kenyan abroad, the first step by the Kenyan missions abroad was to notify the families affected. The Ministry initiates contact with both foreign and local stakeholders, including employers and recruitment agencies, to gather crucial information and identify next of kin.
In addition, the Ministry offers psychological support through its Counselling Department, assisting bereaved families and coordinating arrangements for the family to receive the body.
“The mission facilitates the obtaining of a postmortem report to establish the cause of death and provide the necessary documentation to facilitate the repatriation of the body back home,” Mudavadi explained further.
Mudavadi emphasised the Ministry’s role in advocating for justice in cases where the cause of death is under investigation, while also managing expectations regarding financial assistance.
He however noted that the government resources are limited when it comes to covering medical bills and repatriation expenses. Furthermore, it was challenging to provide the identities of these individuals.
“It should be noted that not all Kenyans register with our missions abroad despite being sensitised on the importance of such registrations hence sometimes it is difficult to have very precise data,” he remarked.
