Amnesty International Kenya has issued fresh demands to the government after the Kenyan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Ruwange, dismissed its report detailing the reality of migrant workers in the Middle Eastern nation.
The report, dubbed Saudi Arabia: Locked in, Left Out: The Hidden Lives of Kenyan Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia, documented the plight of 72 Kenyan domestic workers in the country, whose plight the ambassador termed as exaggerated and unverified in his response on May 17.
"Amnesty International is shocked to read the response of the Kenyan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Ruwange, to our 12 May 2025 report, Saudi Arabia: Locked in, left out: The hidden lives of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia," part of the statement read.
In the statement, the human rights organisation demanded that the Labour Cabinet Secretary, Alfred Mutua, dig deeper into the report and come up with a detailed response to the matter.
It also called on the necessary authorities in the Senate and the National Assembly to draw up an agreement with Saudi Arabia that will mitigate the challenges the migrant workers face.
"We call on the Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary, Alfred Mutua, to follow up on his initial response with a more detailed and constructive response to the findings and recommendations in the report," the statement read.
"We also call on the National Assembly and Senate to demand the bilateral agreement between Saudi Arabia and Kenya be made available for parliamentary and public scrutiny and the Government end the exploitation that continues with impunity."
Following the publication of the report, CS Mutua had promised to scrutinise and compare it to available information on hand and issue a comprehensive response in due time.
In the interim, he sanitised the Middle Eastern country, terming it a friendly nation that has granted work opportunities to many Kenyans in various fields.
He also claimed that the human rights violations listed in the report mostly affected domestic workers in the country and that other Kenyans in other fields were doing well. Thus, he stated that Kenya was working with Saudi Arabia to evaluate ways to improve their experience.
In his response to the report on May 17, Ambassador Ruwange dismissed that the experiences highlighted were verified, affirming that the Kenyan government was committed to safeguarding the interests and well-being of its citizens within and abroad.
"While GoK recognises the importance of advocacy for the rights of migrant workers, it is unfortunate that the Report contains glaring inaccuracies, exaggerated claims, misconceptions and unverified allegations that unfairly misrepresent the realities surrounding Kenyan migrant workers living and working in Saudi Arabia," Ruwange stated.
