Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir ( L) and Haki Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid (R) at a past event. [Photo/ Maxwell Ngala]
The rights of immigrant workers will be safeguarded if a new privately sponsored bill is passed into law.Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir has partnered with Haki Africa, a human rights organisation to ensure the bill sails through and becomes law.Nassir said the bill will require agents taking Kenyans to seek employment outside the country to deposit a total of Sh2 million before they are allowed to conduct their activities.Nassir said Kenyans have suffered especially while working in the Middle East with several of them losing lives without the knowledge of their families.“We are working towards compelling the agents, the Kenyan ambassadors to various countries worldwide and both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of Labour take note and full data of all Kenyans working abroad,” said Nassir, during a meeting with Haki Africa’s Executive Director Hussein Khalid on Wednesday.The legislature said the government issued a blanket ban on Kenyans traveling abroad to look for employment, though the issue needs to be revised to ensure locals get employment in foreign countries.The Mvita MP said the country should have a resident Labour officer in each country where Kenyans go to seek employment.On his part, Haki Africa’s Executive Director Hussein Khalid said it was shocking for the country to have only 39 registered agency companies while it has more than 930 which deal with sending Kenyans abroad to work.“Our sisters and brothers have died in the Middle East while looking for employment without being given specific job descriptions. We should do something and salvage the situation,” said Khalid.Khalid said the organisation is working towards ensuring the government keeps the records of all the agency companies, Kenyans working abroad as well as deploy special Labour officers in all the countries where Kenyans are working.He said the agency companies should be compelled to pay Sh2 million as surety.“This amount will be used to help Kenyans working abroad to return to the country in case their rights are violated,” said Khalid.Nassir is expected to table the bill at the National Assembly.