KENYANS seeking employment in Saudi Arabia should only accept job offers from accredited employment agencies, officials have warned. Speaking at a media reception at his residence in Muthaiga, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Kenya Ghorm Saeed Malhan was quoted as saying by The Star that some workers seeking employment in the Kingdom fall prey to brokers, making it difficult to trace them when they run into trouble at their working stations as well in apprehending their employers. “Though they are isolated cases of crime just like any other form of human rights abuse that happens anywhere in the world, the stories are mostly blown out of proportion. In most of the cases, we only read about them in the papers and no formal complaints are filed so that we can as well intervene through the right channels,” Malhan said, adding that there are more than 40,000 Kenyans working in this country. He said their embassy in Nairobi was in contact with the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia with his government's officials in pursuing investigations on already reported cases. Apart from having strict labor laws that respect workers' rights workers, he said Saudi Arabia had ratified International Labor Organizations labor standards that protect the dignity of workers. “We also in the Kingdom appreciate the work these people do, and we are not only bound to respect them by the law but as well as a sign of good faith and humanity,” he said. Malhan said there are a number of local recruitment agencies whom they had approved to hire locals for Saudi Arabian labour markets after being ratified by the Labour Board of Kenya upon meeting the laid down employment guidelines. He also called on those wishing to work in Saudi Arabia to read and understand terms and condition of their jobs before signing contracts and leaving to Saudi to avoid conflicts when they reach their working destinations. “They should also be in touch with the Kenyan embassy in the Kingdom as well be able to report to us in cases they have troubles,” he urged.
