Civil society organisations are intensifying calls for the abolition of the Kafala system in Gulf nations, citing widespread abuse and exploitation of Kenyan migrant workers. Amnesty International and Trace Kenya criticised the system for enabling modern slavery and systemic racism, particularly affecting women from Kenya’s Coast region who dominate migration to the Middle East. Under the Kafala model, employers in Gulf countries exercise near-total control over workers’ immigration and employment status, often confiscating passports and phones to restrict movement.
Former domestic workers recounted traumatic experiences including sexual harassment, unpaid labour, and racial discrimination while working in Saudi Arabia. Amnesty’s report, Locked In, Left Out, revealed that many of these workers endured conditions amounting to forced labour. The organisations are now urging the Kenyan government to ratify key international conventions, reform its labour migration policies, regulate recruitment agencies, and ensure that its bilateral labour agreements with Gulf states are rights-based and enforceable. They also called for the opening of more consular offices, investment in safe houses, and quick enactment of the Kenyan Migrant Workers Welfare Fund to safeguard migrant workers abroad.
