Hundreds of Kenyan mothers and their children remain trapped in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, living in harsh conditions on the streets of Riyadh and Jeddah.
The crisis, as reported by the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, is due to the kingdom’s strict laws on children born out of wedlock being denied registration as citizens of Saudi Arabia.
“Given the huge population of Kenyan women working in the country (Saudi Arabia), the problem of mothers with undocumented children is prevalent, and the government is seeking bilateral interventions,” Mudavadi acknowledged in a presser on Tuesday.
Mudavadi added that the issue has been the subject of several parliamentary sessions, raised by members of parliament whose constituents have been affected.
He also acknowledged that despite government efforts, the process to try and rescue the Kenyan mothers and their children and bring them back to Kenya has been slow and highly insignificant.
“The deliberate efforts have resulted in the safe repatriation of 59 mothers and 73 children back to Kenya.”
The CS further revealed that human trafficking remains a growing concern, with many Kenyans falling victim to fraudulent recruitment agents who promise to find them jobs abroad.
He noted that over 400 Kenyans have reportedly been lied to and left stranded in foreign countries without jobs or shelter.
“The saddest thing is that the issue is spiralling out of control, as more victims are trafficked from Africa to as far as South Africa and Europe.”
Mudavadi told Parliament that 388 children born to Kenyan mothers in Saudi Arabia have been identified, but many mothers say DNA results never arrived.
Mothers and Children on Saudi Arabia Streets
A recent report by The New York Times showed that some Kenyan mothers and their children sleep on streets or in informal shelters, with some gathering near a Riyadh gas station in Manfooha district, rumoured to be a deportation point.
Some of the mothers featured also explained that they are forced to tie their children to trees near Riyadh gas stations to keep them safe while searching for odd jobs.
Others search for food and clothing in trash bins or rely on strangers for water along the streets or at select gas stations.
These women, once employed as housekeepers and nannies in Saudi Arabia, now face a kingdom where an “illegal pregnancy” can lead to jail.
Hospitals are required to notify police when unmarried women give birth, forcing many to deliver at home without certification.
Children born in these circumstances are denied birth certificates, medical care, and education, despite Saudi law guaranteeing these rights.
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Despite desperate efforts to self-deport, the Kenyan mothers are turned away by the police, shelters, and, shockingly, their own embassy officials, with reports of staff calling mothers “prostitutes.”
No Chance for Kenyan Mothers
Snapshots from WhatsApp groups reveal the depth of despair, with mothers pleading for help or offering abandoned babies to strangers.
Some consider surrendering their children to state care to help them obtain identity documents and secure basic rights.
Informal daycares have emerged in Riyadh, where children spend weeks while their mothers work as freelance cleaners.
Licensed schools refuse enrolment without documents, leaving children to grow up without education or vaccinations.
Others work as freelance cleaners under exploitative conditions without legal protection, earning very little wages while in constant fear of arrest.
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Saudi Arabia has loosened social restrictions under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but the absence of a written penal code leaves unmarried mothers in a legal gray area.
For now, the stranded Kenyan mothers’ plea remains the same: recognition by the Saudi government, safety, and a way back to Kenya.
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