Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua/HANDOUT

Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has issued an interim response to a report by the Amnesty International on the fate of Kenyans in some countries.

On May 13, 2025, Amnesty International released a report exposing severe exploitation, racism and abuse faced by Kenyan women working as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

The report, titled Locked in, left out: the hidden lives of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, reveals that the women endure grueling work conditions amounting to forced labour and human trafficking.

The report shone a light on the hidden plight of Kenyan women whose labour sustains families back home and contributes to Kenya's economy through remittances, yet face grave human rights violations abroad.

Mutua acknowledged receipt of the report, saying, "We are studying the report and comparing it to available information in our hands and we will issue a comprehensive response in due time," he said on X.

The report documents widespread verbal abuse, sexual assault, and racial discrimination.

Women recounted being called derogatory names such as “monkeys” and “animals,” and being subjected to segregation within employers’ homes.

One survivor said, “Because of my dark complexion, I was always called a Black animal. The children would also come up to my face to point and laugh, saying how I am a monkey.”

The women typically work a minimum of 16 hours daily without overtime pay, earning about $240 (app Sh31,00) per month, the report revealed.

Some employers delay or withhold salaries altogether, despite some of the women never being given a day off during their contracts, which can last up to two years.

Living conditions are often inadequate, the report adds, with workers sleeping in cupboards or on floors without proper bedding. 

“At the heart of the abuse lies a labour system underpinned by historical and structural racism, where racialised migrant domestic workers – including Black African women – are dehumanised and treated as disposable," Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton said while condeming the systemic racism and exploitation underpinning these abuses.

The report criticises Saudi Arabia’s kafala sponsorship system, which reportedly binds workers to employers and fosters exploitation.

Mutua said as they continue studying the report before issuing a comprehensive response, the ministry would like to point out a few important issues even as "we continue to engage with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia authorities through diplomatic channels to have all our mutual issues addressed".

Kenyans living happily in Saudi Arabia

The CS said Saudi Arabia is a friendly nation that has given an opportunity to many Kenyans to work in many fields.

He said there are Kenyans serving as doctors, engineers, hospitality practitioners, bankers, drivers, construction workers, teachers among many other professions, working and living happily in Saudi Arabia.

"We are grateful for this labour opportunity and we are ready to fill many more of the available positions," he said.

Abuse is isolated

Mutua said the reported issues of hardship, suffering and death are mainly in one area of employment: domestic workers.

He said this is a concern for Kenyan authorities and Saudi Arabia, and they are currently evaluating how best to improve the experience of Kenyan domestic workers or take special measures concerning their deployment.

"In the same vein, it is vital to understand why Kenyans in other fields working in Saudi Arabia are doing well and not a matter of concern," Mutua said.

Measures taken to keep Kenyans safe

The CS said he has personally held a meeting with his counterpart in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can authoritatively report that he is pleased with the measures they have put in place to ensure safety and better working conditions for all workers, especially domestic workers from Kenya.

"Saudi Arabia even has a special labour desk only for Kenyan employees at their ministry dealing with labour. I have also appointed a new labour attache to serve in our mission in Riyadh," he said.

Confident Saudi authorities will address issues

Saudi Arabia continues to be a major destination for workers from all over the world who are working happily in many areas, Mutua said.

He said the government is confident that together with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, they will be able to address the issue of domestic workers, even as many Kenyans continue to travel to work happily in other fields of expertise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is recognised as a good employer.