Urgent action needed to protect ‘dying’ Kenyan domestic workers in Gulf, say rights groups

Deaths and alleged abuse of Kenyan women in Saudi Arabia fuels demands for Nairobi to act on human rights

Rights groups have expressed concern that not enough has been done to address the alleged mistreatment of domestic workers in Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia, after the Kenyan government moved to secure work opportunities abroad for its citizens.

This is a matter of grave public interest," said John Mwariri, a lawyer at Kituo cha Sheria, a legal aid organisation. Many of our Kenyan citizens have been abused and are dying there. There is an urgent need for protections."