Qatar has blacklisted at least 12 employment agencies recruiting Kenyans to work in the Arabic country.
As per information made available to the public, the move was in a bid to ensure better treatment of migrant workers working in the Gulf State.
The agencies include; Starch, Anand, Sunrise, Dubai, Frame, Al Adam, Absher, Al Methaq, Resala, Altaaon, and Althabat.
This follows a meeting between Kenyan workers working in Qatar and COTU secretary-general Francis Atwoli in Doha last week.
In an update on his official Twitter page, the COTU boss noted that he held a meeting with the Kenyan workers in Doha before meeting the Qatar minister for labour and social services.
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"Our position is that, like the Philippines, the Government of Kenya should embark on government-to-government agreements with the Government of Qatar. As such, the Qatari authorities will be directly responsible for anything happening to a Kenyan working in Qatar," Atwoli stated.
In July 2021, Labour CS Simon Chelugui told the National Assembly's Labour Committee that 93 Kenyans working in the Middle East have died in the past three years.
According to the CS, most deaths were reported in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"We are following up with the Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior to know who the victims are and where they came from in the country," Chelugui said.
The cause of death is mainly given as cardiac arrest, natural death or suicide.
However, many families are unconvinced noting that the deaths may be linked to a surge in abuse against domestic workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"These women were suffering in the days before they died. They were being tortured by their employers. Some were burned with hot water or had dogs set on them
"It's not possible they all died of cardiac arrest or natural causes," Frederick Gaya, a social activist said.
