Kenya's Ambassador to Somalia H.E James Mulinge.

 Ambassador Mulinge was positive that in spite of the recent upsurge of insecurity in Somalia, peace will eventually prevail.  The diplomat’s statement comes at the wake of heightened chaos in the war-torn country, resulting in the death of 16 people on January 27 2010. A battle between pro-government militia and hard-line Islamist fighters in the central Galgadud region left 34 other people badly injured.

A delegation of Belgium sports journalists pose for a group photo during a dinner held at Windsor Golf Club. With them is Tourism Assistant Minister, Hon. Cecily Mbarire (seated third left), and H.E. Amb. Kembi Gitura (seated left).

Assistant Minister for tourism, Hon. Cecily Mbarire, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, Ambassador James Chepsongol, Mr. Johnson Weru and Brand Kenya Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Mary Kimonye were some of the government representatives at the dinner. Also present were officials from the Kenya Golf Association, Kenya Tourism Board and other officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amb. Chepsongol chairing the Kenya Saudi delegations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Clearly, such experiences that Kenyans have to endure in the hands of their employers are not only inhuman, but also traumatising. However, such experiences have not escaped the attention of the Government.

When Kenyans go to work abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the responsibility of ensuring that their safety and interests are safeguarded. The Ministry has an office called the International Jobs and Diaspora Office (IJDO) which helps to authenticate the jobs advertised in the daily press and available in the Middle East.

As is the case, most of the Kenyans who are offered these positions are recruited by private recruitment agencies who proceed to arrange for their travel abroad without verifying whether the positions are genuine or examining the contents of the employment contracts. The IJDO has initiated consultations with private recruitment agencies to check the validity of the advertised jobs. Kenyans are also advised to seek the advice of the office before entering into any financial obligations or accepting any jobs. 

Kenya’s embassies in the Middle East have always been at hand to attend to any complaints or disputes between the Kenyans and their employers. In the case mentioned above, the Ministry facilitated the repatriation of Ms Aisha Noor and Ms Fatuma Twalha, the two girls cited in media story last week.

The government is determined to address the root cause of the problem to avert such incidences in future. Benchmark studies have shown that countries such as the Philippines which have many nationals working in lower cadre jobs have bilateral agreements with specific Middle East countries to protect their nationals.

The Ministry has initiated consultations with the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aimed at putting in place a framework labour agreement to regulate flow of labour between the two countries. Such an agreement will have a legal effect of ensuring that the terms and conditions of the employment contracts are favorable and that the rights of both the employer and employee are protected.

However, it is important to note that Kenya enjoys cordial bilateral relations with Middle East countries. The unfortunate incidences reported notwithstanding, there are many Kenyans working in the Middle East in good conditions and are able to remit money to their families in Kenya.