Langata MP Felix Odiwuor alias Jalang’o has issued a warning to ladies looking for better pastures in Saudi Arabia. He went on to encourage them to look for work locally.
In a recent interview with Mungai Eve, Jalang’o stated that the majority of individuals who travel outside the country are poor and work manual labor.
“Kabla utoke Kenya jaribu kabisa ukuwe umajaribu kuexploit kila njia ndio uamue kutoka hapa. Hata kama hujawai enda job, immediately ukiwa kwa nchi nyingine si home kwenu, tayari you’re disadvantaged.” He said.
He went on to say that it is difficult for a foreigner to find a white collar job in the Gulf countries.
“Kupata kazi poa hutapata. Lazima ikue tu kazi ya kutumia nguvu,” he said.
The MP further stated that some people leave the nation quietly without informing their families or close loved ones, and that they only speak out when things go wrong for them in Saudi.
He warned women who were preparing to travel to the Middle East countries to use a registered agent.
Jalas further stated that a new committee in parliament dubbed Diaspora Affairs and Immigrant Workers is being constituted. It will, for example, examine agencies that transport people to Saudi Arabia.
“Hizo agencies zote zitahave kuwa verified tujuwe ni nani anapeleka nani. Na ni lazima ukuje useme mimi kama Jalas agency nimepeleka huyu, hawa wako kwa mkono yangu. Unless hivyo license zao zitatolewa,” he said.
Several examples of Kenyan girs being mistreated in Saudi Arabia have been recorded in recent months. Diana Chepkemoi, a Meru University student who was rescued from Saudia after photos of her went viral, was among them. Her health was worsening, but she is now doing well.
COTU President Francis Atwoli recently spoke out about young Saudi ladies who are mistreated.
“Let us remain here, as poor as we are, we have a new government, a government struggling to refurbish our economy, the economy will grow under this government,” said Atwoli.
Atwoli went ahead and termed the act as demeaning and disrespectfully.
“The jobs out there are demeaning, disrespectful and not decent as advocated by the International Labour Organization,” he added.
Thousands of employees who travel to the Gulf region in search of work have reported incidences of overwork, violence, sexual assault, and brutality.
