Journalist Larry Madowo disclosed that Kenyan nurses and caretakers in Saudi Arabia are facing deportation threats a day after he first reported their misery. This follows the widespread success of his tweets detailing the hardships faced by nurses dispatched to the Asian nation. In a Friday, November 29 post on X, the writer recounted some of the voicemails he was getting from Kenyan nurses who were complaining about their miserable working conditions, including racism, slave-like working conditions, and no vacation days. The nurses said the Kenyan government was not listening to their cries, so they sought help. In an interview, the administration refuted this assertion. Madowo stated in an updated post on Saturday, November 30, that the nurses are now under pressure to identify the person who spoke out, failing which they risk termination and deportation.
Kenyan nurses in Saudi Arabia
“Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia who shared their complaints with me were threatened with dismissal and deportation,”
said the reporter.
A voice from the recruiting firm overseeing the nurses can be heard informing them in an audio clip that the journalist shared that they received job offers from the company rather than Larry Madowo. The woman’s voice says that they ought to file their complaints via the appropriate channels. This might lead to a lot of issues. The lady on the tape claimed,
“The best I can do once it reaches the government is to make sure that whoever sent this message is brought back home.”
“If you feel that they do pay and take care of you well, you are welcome to go back home,”
the message said.
Madowo claims that the nurses and caregivers are living in constant dread, intimidation, and threats of deportation and job loss if they speak up.
Workplace complaints raised
In November, JMM, a 27-year-old Kenyan lady, will have surgery at Hamad General Hospital in Doha. She underwent this operation as a follow-up to the one she had last year after being physically abused by her employer for weeks, which left her with crippling injuries. The police report she filed has been hampered by her employer, sponsor/kafeel, and a police officer. Without a new sponsor and an ongoing lawsuit, she would need the Qatari government to step in as her Qatar ID has expired. She is concerned that her therapy will not go as scheduled if she does not have a valid Qatari ID. She would not be able to afford it and would not receive the same quality of care if she returned to Kenya. JMM told Migrant-Rights.org about the abuse she endured and the months that followed, sharing her voice notes and diary entries as she still fights for justice. The diary entry is available below in the narrative, which has only been corrected for spelling mistakes, and in the pictures JMM supplied during her early days of therapy. Medical records from the hospital and the clinic where she underwent physical treatment were also examined by the MR. She does not have the forensic report.
Deportation threats emerge
JMM chronicles in her notebook the weeks she endured physical abuse at the hands of her boss and Kafeel, a Saudi national officer with the Qatari police. She had an ankle injury that required surgery and spinal damage that is now incurable. She was transferred to a different employer after a few months, who then put her with their buddy. JMM confided in the new employer when she felt comfortable doing so and found them to be understanding. After that, they brought her to the hospital. To receive treatment, she had to submit a police report, which the social workers at Hamad General Hospital assisted her with. JMM has been protected at the Kenyan embassy and with diaspora members who have stepped in to help her following both outpatient and inpatient therapy. According to the embassy-appointed attorney, the Shahaniya police station, where she had lodged her complaint, had dismissed the investigation due to insufficient evidence. Since then, she has asked for the case to be reopened and has been granted power of attorney to another counsel.
Kenyan Government’s stance
During this turbulent time, the employer paid the embassy a small amount as a settlement of dues without getting her permission. That has not been accepted by JMM as a definitive settlement. She refused to go back home, she told Migrant-Rights.org. “Look at my condition; I am no longer able to perform physical labor. I must receive payment for it. For the experiences I’ve had. Why is the QR3600, which is a little less than $1,000, sufficient? Because of her irregular status, she is also worried that she may be deported before her November surgery or that she will not continue to get the first-rate medical care she has had thus far.