Samuel Wambua
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Minister of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, reported that 316 Kenyans have tragically lost their lives while working in Gulf States from 2002 to date. Addressing the Senate plenary, Mudavadi specified that these fatalities are distributed among six out of the eight states in the region.
“According to our records, a total of 316 Kenyans have lost their lives in the Gulf region,” Mudavadi stated.
He detailed the breakdown of these deaths by country: Saudi Arabia recorded 166 deaths, Qatar 58, United Arab Emirates (UAE) 51, Iraq 25, Bahrain 10, and Kuwait 6. Oman and Iran reported no fatalities.
Mudavadi also provided current statistics on Kenyan workers in these states, totaling 416,548 individuals. Saudi Arabia hosts the largest number with 310,266 Kenyans, followed by Qatar with 66,025, and the UAE with 23,000. Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq host smaller numbers ranging from 150 to 8,000.
However, Mudavadi highlighted challenges in tracking these individuals due to non-registration with Kenyan missions and frequent movement across borders.
“Many Kenyans in these territories move between states, making precise data collection difficult despite efforts to encourage registration,” Mudavadi explained.
Silverio Omari
