COTU SG Francis Atwoli Slams Government Over Kenyans Predicaments in the Gulf.
Secretary General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), Francis Atwoli, has chastised the national government for failing to address the condition of Kenyans in Gulf countries.
Anthony Mutisya 
Atwoli chastised the labor and foreign ministries for failing to address the problem, which has resulted in the deaths of countless Kenyans, particularly girls, who have been transferred to Arabian countries in pursuit of greener pastures.
The COTU boss further accused the government of ignoring the rights of its residents in foreign nations during a meeting with COTU stakeholders in Nairobi on Thursday, despite repeated petitions from families who had lost loved ones in inexplicable circumstances.
“I think the Kenyan government is not sensitive to the plight of the Kenyans who are in the Arabian world, Qatar, Bahrain, and others. Our government is not sensitive, I have appealed time and again to stop the menace of taking our young girls to the Gulf.” Atwoli said.
“Every morning the Qatar Airlines and others from the Gulf are dropping dead bodies at the JKIA. Can't we be sensitive and come out with a law that can protect our young people?” he added.
Kenyans in the diaspora, including those in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain, have complained of torture and poor working conditions in recent years, with the majority accusing their employers of mistreating them.
Bodies of individuals whose lives have tragically ended have been brought into the nation, leaving their families pleading with relevant government officials to act.
“Sometimes I have heard the Ministry of Labour talking proudly that we have managed to take more than 500/600 people, we have given them jobs. What type of jobs? There are no talks of decent jobs, are these decent jobs where people are coming back in coffins?” Atwoli asked.
“You can be a poor but proud person in your country, it is not a question of money or cheating people that we are providing jobs.” He slammed.
Atwoli went on to fault the presence of employment agencies adding that most of the agencies were owned by government officers.
“Funny enough I learned that senior officers in the Ministry of Labor are the people owning these employment agencies, how do they stop it? They are people practicing direct slavery, doing the funny type of things and protected by the same government.” He added.
