Government: 283 Kenyans have died in the Gulf since 2019
The Kenyan government has released data showing 283 migrants working in Gulf countries have died in the past three years.
The statistics were released by the Labour CS Florence Bore on August 2, 2023, in response to questions from MPs about the welfare of Kenyan nationals in the Gulf.
The CS revealed 185 of the deaths occurred in Saudi Arabia, with 48 reported in 2020, 60 in 2021 and 77 in 2022.
The United Arab Emirates recorded 45 deaths between 2020 and December 2022, with 10 in 2020, 17 in 2021 and 18 in 2022.
“The causes of death ranged from illness to homicide, and the next of kin were appropriately notified of the reported deaths through established channels. A total of 121 cases were resolved by involving the parties to the conflict and the Saudi authorities where necessary. A total of 97,173 Saudi riyals was subsequently recovered and paid to the relevant parties,” said Bore.
In Qatar, 53 Kenyan migrant workers died during the same period, 26 of them in 2022.
The CS also noted that Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf countries are entitled to medical care, but those without legal residence permits or who have fled their work contracts face difficulties in accessing healthcare. In 2023 alone, 175 cases were filed by Kenyan migrant workers in the three Gulf countries.
Challenges faced by Kenyan workers in the Gulf include unpaid wages, changing employers, excessive workloads, difficulties in leaving at the end of a contract, lack of access to medical treatment, injuries sustained at recruitment agencies, inadequate accommodation and the need for regular contract renewals.
The majority of Kenyan workers in the Gulf are employed in various sectors including education, banking, hospitality, transport, agriculture and domestic work.
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