Reuben Kigame has called for urgent action to protect Kenyans working abroad after a damning New York Times investigation exposed widespread exploitation, corruption and brutal mistreatment of migrant workers, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

Kigame, a human rights advocate and former presidential candidate, reacted strongly to the report published on November 14. In a short post on X on Saturday, November 15, 2025, he urged Kenyans and the government to confront the ongoing abuse.

“Check out the New York Times 14 Nov article. It is time to fight for mistreated Kenyans abroad,” he posted.

The article detailed how Kenyan recruitment agencies, many linked to senior officials and political figures, are profiting from the export of labour to the Gulf while offering little protection to vulnerable workers.

According to the investigation, about one in ten registered staffing companies is owned by a current or former official, with some hiding their involvement behind proxies.

According to the report, recruitment agencies sell contracts to Saudi firms, who then assign workers to employers. The New York Times cited testimonies of women who have faced beatings, rape, forced confinement and being thrown from balconies. Others have died under unclear circumstances, with families back home left without answers.

A quote in the report from a member of the Association of Skilled Migrant Agencies of Kenya caused public outrage. He suggested that abused women brought it upon themselves for being insufficiently servile. A cabinet secretary was also quoted blaming victims for having an attitude culture.

“We have to break the cartels and streamline the agencies, some of which are owned by prominent Kenyans,” he said in 2022.

According to the New York Times, now in a different ministry, the cabinet secretary blames Kenyans for their own abuse, calling them insufficiently submissive.

“They have an entitlement and attitude culture,” he told The Times in an interview.

Kigame’s statement adds to growing pressure on the state, especially as questions continue to arise over conflicts of interest. The report revealed that even top government officials own recruitment firms. Some of these companies operate inside government buildings, blurring the line between regulation and private profit.

Foreign labour risks

His call comes only days after Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi warned that more than 200 Kenyans may have been recruited into the Russian military under false pretences. Mudavadi highlighted how criminal networks are exploiting job-seekers with promises of high pay, only for them to end up in war zones or forced labour.

Mudavadi also raised concerns over Kenyans trafficked to Southeast Asia and held in scam compounds, where some were trained in cybercrime. He warned that returnees could be used by organised criminal groups unless the government strengthens oversight and public awareness.

Kigame’s concerns echo fresh alarms raised in Parliament. Just a day earlier, Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thang’wa demanded answers over the fate of Kenyan mothers trapped in Saudi Arabia with their children due to strict DNA clearance rules.

In a statement posted on X, Thang’wa highlighted the case of a woman from Vihiga County who has been homeless in Riyadh for years alongside her eight-year-old daughter. He said many Kenyan mothers who give birth out of wedlock while working in Saudi Arabia cannot return home until they undergo DNA testing – a process that has left dozens stranded.