Gulf of death: Saudi deaths double, casting long shadow on State jobs drive

A section of Kenyan Migrant workers who are leaving for the Kingdom of saudi Arabia and Qatar. [Collins Oduor, Standard] The number of Kenyan workers who died in Saudi Arabia doubled in 2023, defying the overall trend where the number of registered deaths of Kenyans occurring abroad reduced by 10 per cent during the year. New data shows that the number of registered deaths in Saudi Arabia grew to 29 in 2023, up from 13 in 2022. The Gulf country is among those that have Bilateral Labour Agreements (BLAs) with Kenya, easing Kenya's export of labour to the Kingdom. Export of labour is one of Kenya Kwanza administration's ways to increase employment for Kenyans, with local industries, according to the government, unable to create adequate employment to keep up pace with the number of people joining the workforce every year. The surge in the number of Kenyans who died in Saudi was even as the total number of Kenyans who died abroad reduced from 270 in 2022 to 301 in 2023. Under scrutiny "There was a 10.3 per cent decrease in the number of registered deaths of Kenyans occurring abroad from 301 in 2022 to 270 in 2023," said the Kenya Vital Statistics Report 2023 published this month by the Department of Civil Registration Services (CRS). "Registered deaths of Kenyans in Saudi Arabia more than doubled from 13 in 2022 to 29 in 2023." Other countries that reported a high number of deaths include the United States at 65, a 12 per cent increase from 2022 and India at 47, a drop from 48 in 2022. There is a huge number of Kenyans in the US, where estimates indicate that 250,000 Kenyans are legally in the country, while many Kenyans seek treatment in India, with over 90 of those seeking treatment abroad, according to the Health Ministry, going to the Asian country. "The United States, India and Saudi Arabia accounted for almost 52.2 per cent of the registered deaths of Kenyans occurring abroad. In the East African region, 20 registered deaths of Kenyans occurred in Tanzania, while 13 occurred in Uganda," said CRS in the report. The number of Kenyan deaths reported in Qatar, the other Middle Eastern country with a high number of migrant workers, increased to 18 from 14. According to CRS, registration of deaths occurring abroad refers to the registration of Kenyan citizens who die and are registered abroad, and whose foreign death certificates were presented to CRS for registration to get Kenyan death certificates. While the CRS report does not offer details on the causes of deaths among Kenyans living abroad, Saudi Arabia, a key destination for many Kenyans seeking to work abroad, is among the countries that have in the past come under scrutiny for poor treatment of migrant workers. Locally, the Commission on Administrative Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman in 2022 looked into the plight of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and found that they experienced rampant abuse in the country. In its report, COA noted that many endured passport confiscation, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sleep deprivation, labour exploitation, movement restriction and imprisonment before deportation, racism, religious intolerance and psychological abuse. It further recommended a review of the BLA between Kenya and Saudi "to adequately cover identified gaps and emerging issues ... (including) clear sanctions for rogue domestic workers and employers." The revised BLA should also provide comprehensive complaint-handling and dispute-resolution mechanisms for migrant workers and their employers. The government has been looking to grow the number of Kenyans working abroad to cater for the growing number of young people joining the labour force and at the same time grow diaspora remittances. It has in the recent past said it planned to send 250,000 Kenyans to work in other countries annually over the medium term, with the expectations that this will increase remittances from $4 billion (Sh520 billion in 2023) to $10 billion (Sh1.3 trillion) over the next five years.

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