MaurineTheuri
Member
Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Services, Simon Chelugui has announced today that the State has set up a fund to support Kenyans stranded abroad.
Speaking on Saturday morning, 4th of August, the CS mentioned that the government has begun funding the initiative, which is aimed at ensuring Kenyans abroad remain safe and sound in all their endeavours.
“To ensure safety and enhance the performance of our people, the government is coming up with a migrant workers welfare fund,” the CS noted.
Chelugui said the fund will be used to, among others, build safe homes for Kenyans who are stranded abroad.
The CS mentioned that these houses will be specifically for Kenyan migrant workers and will be managed by Kenyans to ensure that they are not abused.
The aim of the initiative, he said, is to ensure that when a migrant worker falls out with their employer like has been the case in Middle East, they get somewhere to run to for comfort.
He added that stranded Kenyans will be taken care of at these houses, as they wait for the State to safely fly them back home.
“It is important to note that the government takes very seriously the lives and welfare of Kenyans working both locally and abroad,” Chelugui remarked.
The CS said all the necessary processes as far as setting up the fund have already begun, and plans for total execution are at an advanced stage.
Speaking to the media, Chelugui has encouraged Kenyans to seek greener pastures and job opportunities abroad if they have the required skills, and let the government oversee their safety.
“There are huge opportunities abroad for Kenyan workers, and we have so many skilled graduates. There is big demand, and we should seize those opportunities,” the minister mentioned.
He added that what the government has to do is to create a platform where Kenyans will move freely and feel secure.
In his speech, the CS mentioned that no Kenyan will stay in deportation camps. They are ensuring that all destinations will have Kenyan manned houses