A report by the United States has exposed how Kenyan government officials negotiated for lower pay for migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.
In the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, officials from the Kenyan government negotiated for pay below the minimum wage for Kenyans working in the oil-rich Gulf nation.
The report - published by the US Department of State - further revealed that the move by the government put many Kenyans at risk of being trafficked.
It further explained that poor pay had forced Kenyan workers, who are mostly domestic workers, to engage in illicit activities such as sex trafficking.
"As in previous years, National Employment Authority (NEA) utilized an e-platform for recruitment and placement of Kenyans migrating to Saudi Arabia to promote a safe migration process. However, observers continued to report that Kenyan officials negotiated a pay rate lower than the Saudi Arabian minimum wage, making Kenyan migrant workers vulnerable to trafficking.
"Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) reported recruitment agencies bribed labour officials to bypass required procedures, including allowing recruitment agents to sign the contract on the worker’s behalf when the worker did not appear in person," read the report in part.
As per the report, Saudi Arabia's public minimum pay is estimated at Ksh898,064 (USD7,585) per year.
Additionally, the report revealed that Kenyans and foreigners were still exposed to incidents of human trafficking despite the government's efforts to address the menace.
Some of the areas identified in the report as producing the highest numbers of individuals who are prone to such vices include Western Kenya, Nairobi and Mombasa.
"Workers in khat cultivation areas and near gold mines in Western Kenya, truck drivers along major highways, and fishermen on Lake Victoria also exploit children in sex trafficking," read the report in part.
The government was faulted for laxity in arresting suspected foreigners who they stated were allowed to roam freely and even work in the country.
However, the report noted that Kenya was making progress in dealing with human trafficking and ranked as a tier 2 country.
Most notably, the US government acknowledged that the government has worked with international agencies to extradite foreigners who were facing human trafficking charges.
