JAMILA’S MEMO: The dangers of a single story - On Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia

My memo is a letter from Saudi Arabia. I recently returned from a visit to the oil rich country where I learnt a number of things about Kenyan workers there. We have in the recent past heard horrifying stories of Kenyan workers in the Arab state - and indeed they are horrifying; tales of mistreatment, death, imprisonment have painted a terrifying picture of Kenyans in Saudi. 

During the short visit, several Kenyan journalists had an opportunity to try and find out what was going on.

We learnt that there are over 120,000 Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia, most of them skilled labor. This may sound like a huge number but compared to the over 2.5 million Indians who work there, or the over 2 million Bangladesh and Pakistani workers, the Kenyan work force is almost a drop in the ocean.

I learnt that Kenyan employees are valued for their honesty, hard work and an excellent command of the English language. I also learnt that there are some Kenyans who have worked in Saudi for decades and counting. In that period, they have risen through the ranks to manage teams of employees.

We met a gentleman from Lamu, who has worked for the Saudi bus company, SAPTCO, for 30 years and trains their new drivers. We met another Kenyan who is a veterinarian and has been there for over 20 years. Other than the drivers and veterinarians, there are also I.T technicians, engineers, doctors, nurses, sales people, and those who work in the Saudi metro.

These are part of the skilled labor force…and then there are the domestic workers, who are landing in Saudi in droves. Every week close to 500 Kenyans, mostly women, arrive in Saudi for work. In fact, the plane I travelled in had 150 ladies recruited by different agencies. A potential employer makes the request for a worker, and once someone has been found, this employer will bear all the costs including passport application fees, medical check-up, air fare and all that needs to be done to ensure the employee arrives in Saudi. Once there, the potential employer is expected to receive them at the airport.

But for almost all the girls, this journey and experience consists of a lot of firsts. There are those who are travelling to Nairobi for the first time, visiting an airport for the first time, travelling by plane for the first time, and straight to landing in a foreign land, for the first time. These girls rarely get the training they need to be able to find their way in this new land, where there are language barriers as well as different and alien cultures. Many of them then end up in the wrong hands of local Kenyan agents who fall short of their responsibilities in ensuring that they are ready for this new chapter in their lives.

No one goes to Saudi unless they already have a job waiting for them; the initial contracts are for two years, with an option for renewal if both parties are willing. If the employee wants to leave, the employer is obligated to process an exit visa for him or her. Without an exit visa, an employee cannot leave Saudi.

For the more skilled work force, there are companies that send their recruitment teams to conduct interviews in Kenya. In fact, one of the largest consumer products company sent its recruiters to Kenya as soon as COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted.

Did you know that it is an offence for an employer to retain or keep an employee’s passport? An employer can only do so if willingly given by the employee for safe keeping.

Now, this is not to say that there are no Kenyans who have found themselves in difficult situations, unable to return home, and desperate for help; Yes, there are real stories of real Kenyans, some who are perhaps still stuck somewhere in that country as we speak. But my point is that these tales, horrible as they are, are only part of the Saudi story.

There are indeed Kenyans who have made it in Saudi Arabia and many more are on their way. We learnt that the Kenyans living there have their own way of reaching out to each other and trying to help. The local embassy has set aside every Tuesday as a day for Kenyans in trouble to seek help. Most of them just want to go home, there are now ways of settling disputes using Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms which was introduced by the Saudi Labour ministry in the past year. So far, 55 Kenyans have sought help this way.

So let me end by echoing the chilling warning of Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the danger of a single story. She warns that the single story creates stereotypes through overly simplistic and generalised perceptions that we form about individuals, groups and countries. Yes, indeed, many Kenyans suffer in Saudi Arabia and other places and, Yes, the government must do more for these citizens, but this is not the only story about seeking and finding work in Saudi Arabia.