Don’t get in trouble out there, CS Mutua advises Kenyans abroad
Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Dr Alfred Mutua (centre) with French Trade Minister Olivier Becht and Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Chelilim Bii on Wednesday February 22, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Some Kenyans working in the Diaspora, particularly in the Gulf have suffered at the hands of their employers
- The CS urged Kenyan workers abroad to maintain their immigration status to avoid running into trouble with their employers
- Dr Mutua said government is working to strengthen the status of the Kenyan passport so that Kenyans can gain entry to more countries without visas
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Dr Alfred Mutua has advised Kenyans living, studying or working abroad to respect laws in their host countries to avoid getting into trouble.
His remarks come in the wake of increased cases of assault and killing of Kenyans in other countries.
In the recent past, some Kenyans working in the Diaspora, particularly in the Gulf have suffered at the hands of their employers, who make them work long hours and subject them to physical and sexual violence, which sometimes leads to death.
Speaking in Eldoret on Wednesday Dr Mutua said that the recently established Department for Diaspora Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will address the plight of Kenyans working or studying in foreign countries.
Respect laws
He urged Kenyans to be conversant with their laws, and respect and adhere to the host countries’ laws and visa conditions to avoid trouble.
“If you go to a country that has 200,000 Kenyans and 10 are in a bad state, you have to ask yourselves why these 10 and why not over 190,900 Kenyans? We need to ask ourselves if it is isolated or it is common. It is deeper than you think; it is not superficial as many may want to see it,” said the CS.
He added: “We would not like seeing people coming back in a bad state, but we need to ask ourselves why people tend to come back in a bad state.”
“If you are a Kenyan student or a Kenyan worker, if you go to another country, please that is not your country, please observe the laws of that country. If you have a problem with the laws of that country, please get onto the next plane and come back home,” added the CS.
“Don’t go to another country and break the laws or attempt to change the laws,” he said.
Immigration status
The CS also urged Kenyan workers abroad to maintain their immigration status to avoid running into trouble with their employers.
“If your visa says that you work for this particular person, don’t work for another unless you change your immigration status because you are breaking the laws,” added the CS.
Dr Mutua explained that they are working to strengthen the status of the Kenyan passport so that Kenyans can gain entry to more countries without visas.
“We will be able to do this if Kenyans go to these countries and respect the laws of those countries. We hope that soon, as we talk with the French government (so) that Kenyans are able to travel to France for holidays without requiring a visa because other people have been able to do that,” added the CS.
Diplomatic rows
At the same time, Dr Mutua dismissed reports of a diplomatic row between Kenya and her neighbours.
“It is a matter of discussion, but I can assure you that we have good diplomatic relations with all our neighbours. Some of the problems in this continent are a result of the boundaries drawn during the colonial period,” the CS said.
Kenya and South Sudan were embroiled in a dispute over the boundary in the North. Juba has complained that Kenya has “illegally” taken 42 points of its borderline at Nadapal, a settlement on a key crossing point and trade route between the two countries.
