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{
    "id": 1119973,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1119973/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 241,
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "If Sen. (Dr.) Milgo was still around, she will tell you that of all the reports, they say it is a heart attack, suicides and accidents. However, we know that there is more than meets the eye. Further, as representatives of the people, we continue to bear the brunt. Many Members who have received distress call me to ask who to talk to when there is an issue. I have just had a discussion with Sen. (Dr.) Zani and other Members of the National Assembly. I remember Sen. Isaac Mwaura receiving dead bodies at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Sen. Shiyonga gave me names. We receive these distress calls and appeals from the constituencies for assistance. Every day, if you go to the airport, you will find plane loads of Kenyans dressed in white T-shirts making their way. We must do something substantive as a House. They are looking up to us to resolve this matter. Some want repatriation of their relatives. I have forwarded many. You have seen videos of people saying they are in distress and they cannot get out of where they are. There have been media reports. I keep saying we must balance these reports. Yes, we must raise that. The reason for these interventions we are seeking is to safeguard the lives of Kenyans and their economic interests. We should also not jeopardize those who are happy to be there and are supporting their families. Some have built houses and educated their children and if we bring them back, they will have no jobs. So, that is why we are striking a very delicate balance. I urge Members to go through this report. I know the secretariat has shared it on our platform. Just go through it with a fine toothcomb. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is therefore against the foregoing background, that the Committee, in undertaking oversight and legislative roles in the case of labour migration issues, was part of the Kenyan delegation alongside the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection visits in the Gulf Region. We undertook a study between the 10th and 20th April. It comprised Members of both the Standing Committee on Education and the Standing Committee on Labor and Social Welfare. The goal was to review the existing bilateral labour agreements between Kenya and Saudi Arabia for domestic workers and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish first-hand the goings in key migrant destinations in strategic labour destinations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab States Emirates. In view of the fact that the issues of labour migration are within the purview of the Committee and further considering the numerous complaints, incidents and claims linked to the unskilled migration to the Arab countries and aware of the economic contribution of labour migration to the economy, the Committee escalated its investigations. We did not stop at just visiting there. In our report, we reviewed existing opportunities and assessed obstacles for improved processes and labour migration governance and subsequently we have provided practical policy, legislative and or administrative solutions to these processes. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I know many Kenyans have been waiting for the report. We did not want to rush it. We went, came back and sat with different entities. We met with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Coordinaton of National Government, especially the State"
}