Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua on Wednesday, January 18 assured the nation that the government is committed to solving the problem of Kenyan workers in Middle East countries suffering at the hands of their employers.
Dr Mutua said that he has already had meetings with different stakeholders both locally and in the Middle East to ensure that Kenyans suffering in diaspora is a thing of the past, insisting that the Kenya Kwanza Government will take care of all of its citizens, in the country and abroad.
He, however, urged Kenyans to always observe the laws of the countries they are working in, to avoid rubbing local authorities the wrong way.
“We are taking care of all Kenyans in Qatar and we are the government speaking the truth …Kenyans are business people, and in some of these countries in the Middle East, alcohol is illegal.
“Do you know there are Kenyans brewing chang’aa in some of these countries? It breaks my heart that we are here debating about getting Kenyans there while there are Kenyans there with chang’aa dens, selling chang’aa to other Africans, an illegality of illegality in a Muslim country,” CS Mutua said in an interview with Citizen TV.
The CS added that such Kenyans – who break the law while working in diaspora – are an impediment to government’s efforts in dealing with issues of welfare for its citizens abroad.
Solving the nagging issue of Kenyans suffering in diaspora, as well as maximising on their economic might, was one of the key agendas of President William Ruto’s government. Dr. Mutua was the chief guest at the December 2022 Annual Kenya Diaspora Homecoming Convention in Nairobi.
During the event, Dr. Mutua says that the convention themed “Inclusive growth leveraging diaspora resources” was in in sync with President Ruto’s government policies which have identified that Kenya’s diaspora population plays a key role in the country’s economy.
The President even went ahead to create a new State Department specifically for Diaspora Affairs.
The government will also set up diaspora and trade departments in all Kenya’s missions abroad to help grow foreign remittances and provide more support for Kenyans in the diaspora.
