Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said Kenyans migrating abroad must have a travel insurance cover.
At the same time the Prime CS insisted that no single insurance company has a monopoly covering Kenyans seeking jobs in the Gulf, adding that individuals and Kenyan private recruitment agencies are at liberty to choose their preferred insurance company.
While responding to queries by MPs, Musalia stated that currently there are 594 foreign jobs recruitment agencies with valid licenses while the government has deregistered over 600 on various grounds of malpractices.
The MPs were seeking to know whether any senior government officials, or their family members directly or indirectly own, control, or benefit from recruitment, training, or insurance companies involved in deploying Kenyan workers to the Middle East.
He was also required to provide the full terms of the current bilateral labour agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including negotiated wages, complaint-handling mechanisms, emergency response obligations, and repatriation terms for Kenyan workers.
“Kenya is at an advanced stage of negotiations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a new comprehensive agreement that will cover skilled and semi-skilled workers with significantly improved wages and conditions. We have received official communication on enhanced wage agreements for Kenyans employed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Mudavadi told MPs.
He said the number of Kenyans living and working in Saudi Arabia is now estimated at 350,000 and to enhance consular services, the government recently opened a consulate in Jeddah to augment the Mission in Riyadh.
“We will be seeking more budgetary support to expand the capacity of our mission to serve Kenyans better. The government will be seeking funding for the establishment of a safe house for Kenyans in distress,” Mudavadi said.
