Labour migration from Kenya has grown in recent years, a change that has been reflected in the increased size of the country’s recruitment industry since the late 1990s. An estimated three million Kenyans work abroad, the majority of which are hosted by other countries in Africa such as Botswana, Ghana, Namibia, and Tanzania. An increasing proportion of Kenyan workers are also travelling to countries in the Middle East (e.g. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman) for temporary employment in the security, logistics, and retail sectors. In addition, many of these employment opportunities in the Middle East are for domestic work, or to fill positions in the construction and services industries in preparation for the 2020 UAE Expo and the 2022 Qatar World Cup. In this regard, between an estimated 100,000 and 300,000 Kenyan labour migrants are being hosted in the Gulf countries.

Starting in the 2000s, Kenya has made efforts to institute labour emigration policies to regulate emigration from the country and secure employment opportunities for its citizens abroad. There have especially been attempts to curb labour migration to the GCC states and prevent the trafficking of women to the Gulf. Nonetheless, the Kenyan government does not have extensive measures (e.g. bilateral labour agreements, welfare policies) in place to protect the rights of Kenyan workers overseas, address malpractices by recruitment agencies, and support the economic contributions of the diaspora. Moreover, the government’s overall migration policy remains in draft form. Efforts to prevent labour exploitation, particularly in the Gulf countries, are largely ineffective. Because of emerging reports of labour abuses faced by its workers in the Middle East, the Kenyan government banned labour migration to GCC countries in 2012. However, the ban was overturned a short time thereafter in 2013, reportedly because of efforts made by Kenyan recruitment agencies.

Given that the Kenyan government is challenged in its efforts to regulate the labour recruiting industry, recruiting agencies are commonly involved in the perpetration of abuses, violence, and human rights violations against migrant workers. Illegal or unethical recruitment practices involving, for example, high recruitment fees and situations of debt bondage are common. In addition, workers can also be deceived by recruiters about the terms and conditions associated with certain jobs or lured to a destination country by means of a fake job offer. Limited or incorrect pre-departure information from recruiters is seen to limit Kenyan emigrants from being fully aware of their rights in navigating difficult working conditions abroad. In this regard, extensive complaints are made about working conditions in the destination countries, especially in the UAE. In low- and semi-skilled positions, Kenyans are vulnerable to exploitation and violations associated with, for example, deskilling, employment contract substitution, unpaid wages or illegal wage reductions, long working hours, and passport withholding. Trafficking, physical and sexual mistreatment, as well as servitude are also reported amongst Kenyan employees (particularly domestic workers) abroad. Deaths of Kenyan domestic workers have also been reported in Saudi Arabia, for example. Due to feelings of mistrust and perceptions of corruptions within the Kenyan embassy, Kenyan migrant workers are often discouraged from reporting and seeking help in the context of abuses at the hands of their recruitment agencies and/or employers.

Find out more about the degree of respect for worker’s rights in this country based on ITUC Global Rights Index here.