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{
    "id": 1120093,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1120093/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 361,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I acknowledge that there is scarcity of jobs and certainly acknowledge that people want to eke a living. At one point, I remember I was at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on transit, I saw many ladies wearing jeans and t-shirts who were on their way to Saudi Arabia. Something surprising is that when it comes to being cleared, they are cleared very fast compared to other people. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is unfortunate that when women go out there, they are going to eke a living. A woman can go to any length to ensure that she provides food, shelter and the basic necessities for her children. Most of these ladies going there do not come from Nairobi. Most of them come from the rural areas. When I was in Lugari last week but one, a case came to me of a lady who went to Saudi Arabia and is being mistreated. They do not know how she can come back and all that. This is just one among the very many that Sen. Sakaja has let this House know. Most of them are ladies. This report by Sen. Sakaja is very emotive, but you can imagine your daughter, Emily in Saudi Arabia being maltreated and there is nothing you can do about it. Baba Emily, it is painful. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as a mother of very beautiful daughters, I feel the pinch. I can imagine my daughters trying to eke a living to support their children and loved ones, but when they go there, they get maltreated. It is an issue that is of great concern. I want to thank Sen. Sakaja and his team for the recommendations that they have come up with. These recommendations must be a prerequisite for working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). When you look at the Constitution, Article 43 on Economic and Social Rights; whether you are a migrant worker or living in Kenya, you have a right to socio-economic rights. You have a right to the highest attainable standards of health. You have a right to clean water and housing and you have a right to social protection. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is clear in Article 43(3) that the State needs to provide social security even for those vulnerable Kenyans who are not able to provide social security for themselves and their families. That Kenyan migrant worker in the UAE is helpless and does not know what to do. Sen. Sakaja put it rightly that sometimes a situation can be that a Kenyan is complaining, but when he goes for his case to be listened, at the end of the day, he is made to go back to his employer. You can imagine what they go through. Cases of death have been reported in this report. We cannot sit on our laurels. As Senators, we must do something. We are obligated to do that because we represent millions of helpless Kenyans who do not know what to do. I remember at one point when I went to Dubai, I had an interaction with some Kenyans and they mentioned that there are some Kenyans who go to the UAE and sometimes get stranded and cannot come back to Kenya because their visas have not been cleared. Some of them end up engaging in illicit behaviour in order to survive. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, constitutionally, every Kenyan must be treated with dignity; whether a migrant or not. All Kenyans have a right to be treated with dignity. There is need to ensure that when Kenyans are going out there, there is bio data of those who are going out. This is a recommendation that came out from Sen. Sakaja‟s report."
}