Kenyan Nurses in Saudi Arabia Threatened With Deportation After Complaints

A day after sharing the distress of Kenyan nurses and caregivers in Saudi Arabia, CNN journalist Larry Madowo has revealed that the nurses are being threatened with deportation. This comes after his posts about the struggles of the nurses sent to work in the Asian country went viral.

The CNN journalist, in a post in X on Friday, November 29, shared some of the voice messages he was receiving from the Kenyan nurses, who decried working under frustrating conditions facing racism, slave-like work conditions, and no days off.

The nurses were seeking assistance after they alleged that the Kenyan government was ignoring their pleas. A claim that the government denied in an interview with Kenyans.co.ke.

In an updated post on Saturday, November 30, Madowo revealed that the nurses are now being pressured to reveal who spoke out, or else they will face dismissal and deportation.

“Kenyan workers in Saudi Arabia who shared their complaints with me were threatened with dismissal and deportation,” the journalist revealed.

In an audio message shared by the journalist, a voice believed to be from the recruitment agency that manages the nurses can be heard reminding them that they did not get employment offers from Larry Madowo but from the company. The voice of the woman continues to add they should complain through the right channels.

“This might cause a lot of problems. Once it gets to the government, the best I can do is to ensure that whoever sent this message is brought back home,” the woman in the audio asserted.

“If you feel that they do pay and take care of you well, you are welcome to go back home,” the message continued.

According to Madowo, the nurses and caregivers are living in fear, threats, and intimidation of losing their jobs and deportation if they speak up.

Responding to the complaints of the nurses, and speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu denied that the government had received any complaints regarding the same.

“We haven’t received any reports of distress from nurses working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the PS’s asserted.

The nurses travelled to Saudi Arabia under a government initiative to find jobs for Kenyans, with caregivers and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) being part of the programme.