A recruiter who also worked in the Gulf countries dismissed claims by the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) boss Francis Atwoli of Kenyan allegedly forced to breastfeed dogs.
The vocal trade unionist called for immediate action from the government to rescue Kenyans trapped in Saudi Arabia.
"I want to appeal to the administration to go the way the first government under former president Mwai Kibaki did. He banned all employment agencies in Kenya," Atwoli stated.
However according to the recruiter, in Saudi Arabia, people are not allowed to keep dogs, it is illegal.
"I am shocked to hear Francis Atwoli say that a Kenyan was breastfeeding a dog. First of all, in Saudi people do not keep dogs. I think he needs to apologise because the utterances scared Kenyans. The media should also be cautious when airing such videos," the recruiter lamented.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, October 12, the team of recruiters, rubbished claims that they were involved in the mistreatment of Kenyans in the Gulf.
The group maintained they work with the government to ensure proper channels are followed when recruiting.
Additionally, the team pinpointed that the viral video of the woman was from an adult entertainment site and Atwoli should have been keen to see it.
“If you are genuine to help Kenyans, you should have set up a college or educational center to educate our children. You have been the COTU boss for almost 20 years, yet you have not offered Kenyans an alternative to help Kenyans,” one of the recruiters argued.
As a former employee, the recruiter asked the government not to shut down the recruitment agencies noting that Saudi Arabia has provided employment for thousands of Kenyans.
He advocated for the construction of safe houses in the foreign countries to ensure Kenyans leaving the country are taken care of.
He opined that Saudi Arabia is a large country and the embassy will have a hard time tracking all Kenyans in the foreign country.
On the increased cases of harassment of employees, he urged Kenyans to conduct necessary investigations before drawing any conclusions.
He argued that some Kenyans seeking employment in a foreign country do not report to their employers upon arrival.
He accused them of seeking alternative jobs that pay Ksh70,000 more than the agreed Ksh30,000, a move he claimed made them 'aliens' in Saudi Arabia.
