Currently, because of unemployment and fewer opportunities in Kenya, many Kenyans are looking for employment opportunities abroad. Several offices have risen recently that recruit many young Kenyans to work in different companies and firms abroad. Countless report positive outcomes after succeeding in securing employment using the companies, while others also report disappointments.
It is important to remember that African history has been influenced by migration for ages. Africans have moved willingly in pursuit of security, trade, work, and education. Others were compelled to travel due to economic hardship, slavery, colonialism, conflict, and persecution. Millions of Africans now make up the world’s African diaspora, keeping close ties to their own countries while making substantial contributions to the economy and cultures of their adopted nations.
Migration as a Positive Force
First, for many Kenyans, working abroad has provided employment opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable. Remittances from Kenyans living overseas support families, educate children, finance businesses, and contribute billions of shillings annually to Kenya’s economy. Skilled professionals such as doctors, engineers, academics, and entrepreneurs in the African diaspora also transfer knowledge, technology, and investment back to Africa.
Secondly, migration also promotes cultural exchange. Living in diverse societies often encourages tolerance, critical thinking, and appreciation of different cultures. Many Africans abroad become ambassadors for African culture while also introducing democratic values, gender equality, scientific thinking, and human rights perspectives to their communities back home.
As such, from a humanist standpoint, these outcomes reflect the ideals of human cooperation, shared humanity, and global citizenship.
The Human Cost of Migration
Despite its benefits, migration can also expose vulnerable people to exploitation. To start with, economic inequality between Africa and wealthier nations often leaves migrants with little bargaining power. In this way, many leave not because they genuinely choose to, but because unemployment, poverty, or insecurity leaves them with few alternatives. This is especially true for low-skilled migrant workers.
In the recent past, Kenya has increasingly encouraged labor migration to Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. While many workers have positive experiences, numerous documented cases reveal serious human rights abuses affecting domestic workers, the majority of whom are women.
The Plight of Kenyan Women in Saudi Arabia
The experiences of many Kenyan women working as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia illustrate the human cost of poorly protected labor migration. Investigations by Kenya’s Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman) documented widespread abuse, including passport confiscation, physical assault, sexual violence, psychological abuse, food deprivation, sleep deprivation, movement restrictions, wage withholding, and imprisonment before deportation. The investigations also identified weaknesses in Kenya’s recruitment systems and protections for migrant workers.
Similarly, Amnesty International’s 2025 report documented testimonies from Kenyan domestic workers describing excessive working hours, confinement inside employers’ homes, confiscation of passports and phones, delayed or unpaid wages, racism, verbal abuse, and, in some cases, sexual assault. The report argued that many of these conditions amounted to forced labor and called for major reforms to Saudi Arabia’s labor system, including dismantling the kafala sponsorship system.
These abuses do not imply that every employer or every migration experience in Gulf countries is abusive. Many migrants complete their contracts safely and improve their families’ lives. However, the documented cases demonstrate systemic risks that demand stronger protections rather than dismissal as isolated incidents.
Most Kenyan migrants employed as domestic workers work inside private homes, where labor inspections are limited and workers may become isolated from the outside world. Dependence on employers for housing, food, immigration status, and communication creates conditions in which abuse can remain hidden.
Economic desperation also increases vulnerability. Many women accept risky contracts because they hope to support children, siblings, or elderly parents. Recruiters may exaggerate salaries or working conditions, leaving migrants unprepared for the realities they encounter.
Kenyan Men Recruited into Russia’s War
While the suffering of Kenyan women employed as domestic workers in parts of the Middle East has rightly received considerable attention, another disturbing form of exploitation has emerged in recent years. Hundreds of Kenyan men seeking employment abroad have reportedly been deceived by recruiters who promised legitimate civilian jobs, such as security guards, drivers, cleaners, or construction workers in Russia, only to find themselves compelled or pressured into military service on the front lines of the Russia–Ukraine war where some end up dead.
Recruiters advertised attractive salaries, accommodation, travel, and even the possibility of Russian citizenship. Some contracts were reportedly presented only in Russian, leaving recruits unable to understand what they were signing. Survivors have described receiving only brief military training before being sent into some of the most dangerous combat zones in Ukraine.
A Humanist Response
Humanism insists that every human being possesses equal dignity regardless of nationality, religion, ethnicity, or occupation. I believe that a humanist approach to migration would emphasize ensuring migrant workers receive accurate information prior to departure, regulating recruitment companies, holding abusive recruiters accountable, and strengthening labor agreements and enforcement to protect migrant workers. Migration should never require people to surrender their basic human rights.
By George Ongere