A section of Kenyan caregivers and nurses working in Saudi Arabia has narrated their challenging working conditions after a government initiative program facilitated their move to the middle east Kingdom.
In screenshots shared by CNN News Correspondent Larry Madowo, the workers have expressed their distress over the inhumane treatment they are facing.
“The Kenyan government has sent hundreds of caregivers and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to Saudi Arabia. They report working in conditions akin to slavery, enduring rampant racism, having no days off, and experiencing numerous violations of labor laws,” Madowo said.
“I’ve heard horrific stories from Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia. They feel trapped with no way to escape. When they expressed their dissatisfaction, they were told, ‘If you find the way we manage things intolerable, you have the right to resign’,” Madowo added.
Kenyan caregivers decry of poor conditions in Saudi Arabia
One of the victims narrated that despite working for many hours their employers don’t give them overtime. She further narrated that at times her employer denies her food.
“We came to Saudi with this initiative the government had started for caregivers/nursing assistants and nurses to work here. The company has been frustrating us now they refuse us to go for our off days, they have said we are entitled to 3 sick offs per year, we are not to renegotiate working hour with clients, they will not pay overtime yet want us to work beyond our working hours.
When we raise our concerns in the WhatsApp group, they locked it to admin only. What are we supposed to do?
Which office should we run to?” the victim narrated.
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Madowo also shared a screenshot of a conversation of another victim and his employer. According to the screenshot conversation, the employer had issued a directive indicating that there would be no more off days.
“Please be informed that, following a meeting held on November 27 at 10 am, it has been decided that all employees will no longer have scheduled days off.
This applies to those under both 26-day and 30-day contracts, with exceptions made only for individuals who have not taken a day off in a month or longer, or those with emergent medical conditions. Kindly ensure dissemination of this information and compliance with the new directive. This policy comes into effect today and will continue moving forward,” the employer said as per the shared screenshots.
Diaspora Affairs PS says govt has not received complaints from nursing assistants
The Kenya Times reached out to Roseline Njogu, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Diaspora Affairs to ascertain the real situation.
In her response, Njogu said that the government has so far not received any complaints of nurses working in Saudi Arabia.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia Postpones Execution of Kenyan in Prison for Over 13 Years
“So far, we have not received any complaints from the caregivers. We encourage them to use the available channels, such as Kenya’s embassy in Saudi Arabia, to report any concerns,” Njogu said.
Roseline further said when such incidents occur, the government is committed to stepping in promptly and resolving the issues.
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