Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has once again taken to social media, this time with a fiery warning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kenyan authorities, over what he termed as the “rising, heartbreaking deaths” of Kenyan domestic workers in the Gulf nation.
In a viral video posted on his platforms, the flamboyant politician, known for his hands-on philanthropic gestures and bold declarations, did not mince his words as he threatened to “mobilise Kenyans to storm the Saudi Embassy” in protest.
“Stop sending your children to Saudi,” Sonko urged during the emotional clip. “Ask me, the number of corpses I have helped bring home are many. They go seeking employment doing domestic chores and they end up being messed up.”
Sonko shared a disturbing account of two young Kenyan women who reportedly died under suspicious circumstances while working in Saudi Arabia.
“There’s a case of Dorcus Mutuku from Matungulu in Machakos County; her boss threw her from the 10th floor. She didn’t break any law,” he said. “And Sheila Nduku, who was beaten in the bathroom and died on the spot. This must stop!”
The former governor directly criticised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, now under Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, accusing it of negligence.
“This should now be an international case. What is the work of Interpol? Why the reluctance from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs?” he questioned passionately.
He further clarified that his frustration was not aimed at Arabs or Muslims in general, stating: “I am not saying Saudi men are bad. I have taken many people for Hajji as a senator and governor most are good people. But some are bad, and they are killing our children. Our daughters are not call girls, they don’t drink alcohol, they are not husband snatchers they just want to work.”
During the video call, Sonko spoke to a distressed mother from Mombasa who had requested financial help to process her daughter’s medical report for a Saudi-bound job. Sonko not only cautioned her against sending the girl abroad, but also promised to help her daughter find work locally even sending the woman Sh5,000 for upkeep.
“I told her not to take her daughter to Saudi. I will help her get work here in Kenya,” Sonko said before the mother tearfully offered a prayer for him in Arabic.
Sonko also revealed that he is personally working to repatriate the bodies of Dorcus and Sheila for final rites, a somber effort he says has become all too familiar.
“We are not blaming Muslims nor Arabs, nor the investors who come to visit,” he concluded, “but a few families that are dictatorial. If you kill in Saudi, you’re killed that’s their law. So where is justice for our children?”
The number of Kenyan workers who died in Saudi Arabia doubled in 2023, defying the overall trend where the number of registered deaths of Kenyans occurring abroad reduced by 10 per cent during the year.
A number of non-governmental-organisation have raised concern over the issue, with Amnesty International urging the Kenyan government to act after its ambassador to Saudi Arabia dismissed a report detailing abuse of 72 Kenyan domestic workers.
The organisation criticised Ambassador Mohammed Ruwange for calling the findings “exaggerated” and “unverified” in a Facebook post published on Saturday, May 17.