The Saudi Embassy in Kenya requires all Kenyan recruitment offices to sign contracts with licensed Saudi recruitment offices, provided such offices are approved by the National Committee for Recruitment (NCR), affiliated to the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry. “This step taken by the Saudi Embassy in Kenya aims to prevent a spike in recruitment charges and chaos as has happened with the Indonesians,” said Hassan Al-Mutairi, an NCR member. He indicated that official contracts between Kenyan and Saudi offices are the only way to eradicate the black market in visas. The decision to suspend Indonesian visas has contributed to the soaring number of Kenyan and Ethiopian housemaid visas. Around 5,000 housemaids from Kenya and Ethiopia arrive every week in different regions in the Kingdom. “The cost of recruiting a Kenyan housemaid is SR8,500 while that of an Ethiopian housemaid is SR9,000,” said Al-Mutairi. It takes a maximum of 35 to 45 days for a housemaid to arrive in the Kingdom. __
