Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs, Roseline Njogu, has urged Kenyan domestic
workers facing challenges in Saudi Arabia to seek shelter at the Sakan Holding Center,
an agency that caters to stranded female domestic workers. Njogu, who is part of a
Kenyan government delegation visiting Saudi Arabia in a bid to address the challenges
facing migrant workers there, was surprised to find that the Gulf nation has such an
agency and that it offers free accommodation and legal aid to domestic workers with
pending employment disputes and other legal concerns while also assisting them in
procuring exit visas.
According to Njogu, at least 288 Kenyan workers are currently being given free
accommodation in the shelter as authorities process the necessary travel
documentation. She noted that over the last two years, the center has taken in 8,000
Kenyan women and helped them to transition back home, all at no cost to the worker.
The center also offers free legal aid to domestic workers with pending employment
disputes and other legal concerns and assist them in procuring exit visas.
In addition, the center has recreational facilities, including a swimming pool, to provide
a comfortable environment for the workers while they await their return home. Njogu
stated that the women she met confirmed that they were given food, shelter, medical
care, psychological/psychiatric care, and eventually plane tickets to go home. They are
also allowed to keep their phones and can leave if they want.
Njogu also highlighted that Kenyans who decry mistreatment and abuse in Saudi Arabia
are often those who have entered the country through the wrong channels. She urged
activists, Kenyans of goodwill, and keyboard warriors to direct domestic workers in
distress in Saudi Arabia to go to a Sakan center near them instead of flooding her DMs.
She stated that this is a fast, safe and free service that can help fellow Kenyans.
In conclusion, Njogu emphasized that the Kenyan government is committed to the
welfare of its citizens working abroad and urged distressed domestic workers in Saudi
Arabia to take advantage of the services offered at the Sakan Holding Center. She
assured them that the center will provide a safe and comfortable environment while they
await their return home.
