Former Chief Justice David Maraga has raised concerns over what he views as a worrying trend of sending Kenyan youth abroad for low-paying and exploitative jobs.
In a statement on Thursday, November 20, he drew a parallel between Africa’s historical experience with enslavement and the present export of Kenyan labour.
"Our beloved Africa still lives with the unspoken wounds of losing her children to enslavement centuries ago. Shipped across the oceans, the depletion of Africa’s best talent is a tale that seems to be repeating itself in 21st Century Kenya, only this time, through the seemingly innocuous guise of helping young people earn a living abroad," he said.
Maraga went on to condemn any policy that allows young Kenyans to be sent overseas into hardship, stating that leaders must reject practices that expose citizens to indignity and exploitation.
"We cannot, ever, in this free Africa, fall prey to that dark greed of shipping off our best across the oceans to build foreign lands on the cheap, through suffering and indignity," he added.
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Maraga further criticised the government for prioritising labour export programmes rather than addressing corruption and unemployment at home, noting that safeguarding citizens should be at the centre of public policy.
"My government will jealously protect our people as our most treasured resource. It is against the very nature of elected governance to trade off our people as labour to foreign lands instead of expanding opportunities at home and ending the corruption that is bleeding our economy," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia are set to benefit from a new minimum wage regulation that will take effect early next year.
In a statement on Sunday, November 16, the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh informed Kenyan workers that a new minimum salary has been set to take effect from February 2026.
According to the Embassy, the move is part of ongoing labor reforms by the Saudi government aimed at improving work conditions for foreign workers.
"The Embassy wishes to inform all Kenyan workers that, effective February 2026, the Government of Saudi Arabia will implement a minimum salary of SAR 1,000 (Ksh34,455) per month for all workers. This is in line with ongoing labor reforms following changes to the Kafala system," the statement read.
The Embassy further advised workers in Saudi Arabia to make necessary inquiries and ensure that their employers honor the new wage rules.
"The Embassy encourages Kenyan workers to verify with their employers regarding the implementation of the new minimum wage and to report any concerns through the Embassy’s official channels," the statement added.
