Betrayed Abroad: The Harsh Reality of Kenyan Nurses Trapped in Saudi Arabia

Certified Kenyan nurses who traveled to Saudi Arabia for hospital jobs found themselves in a nightmare of forced domestic labour, isolation, and abuse. Instead of working in hospitals in Riyadh, the capital, as promised, they were sent to private homes in remote areas and even taken to Yemen against their will. Now back in Kenya, they are speaking out—demanding justice, accountability, and better protections for migrant workers. Equidem is proud to uplift the voices of these workers, who want to share their experience in their own words so that it may serve as a warning to others. For security reasons, names have been changed. This government-to-government initiative to facilitate employment for female Kenyan nurses prompted the workers to move to Saudi Arabia. Indeed, media reports say the government has launched at least three recruitment drives to send nurses to the country. Advertised as an opportunity for professionals, the women found themselves duped by the government that should have been supporting and protecting them. In 2021 the Ministry of Labour estimated that there were 80,000 nationals in Saudi Arabia. There are almost certainly thousands more now: As Equidem’s new report highlights, the migration corridor for care workers moving from East Africa to Saudi Arabia is forming at this moment. Climate change is disrupting markets and destroying livelihoods at home and an aging population and increasingly privatised health-care system in Saudi Arabia is creating for conditions primed for abuse. The Kenyan government must be part of the solution, not the problem. It must stop acting as a labour supplier and instead serve its intended role as a regulator and ensure the safety and wellbeing of the thousands of citizens working there, sending money back home. If it does not change, it is almost certain that more workers will fall prey to government backed schemes. It all started with an opportunity that seemed like a dream come true. Last year, caregiver schools in Kenya sent out emails announcing lucrative job openings in Saudi Arabia for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA). The job was advertised in the Kenya Gazette, making it look like an official and trustworthy government-backed opportunity. This was amplified by government officials claiming it was a government-to-government deal. The offer was simple yet enticing work in Saudi hospitals for eight-hour shifts, with extra hours paid separately. The total earnings were supposed to amount to around KES 120,000 per month. Encouraged by these promises, we signed up, trusting the recruitment process. We went through training, met all requirements, and eagerly awaited our departure, believing we were headed for stable, well-paying healthcare jobs. But from the moment we arrived in Saudi Arabia, reality began to unfold in ways we never expected.

From Hospitals to Private Homes

Instead of being placed in hospitals as per our contracts, many of us were assigned to work in private homes as caregivers, under conditions completely different from what we had been promised. Our work hours were much longer than eight hours, and the extra pay that had been guaranteed never came. Some of us were overworked, mistreated, and denied basic rights including sufficient food and access to medical services when sick. We were paid about KES 43,000 per month, vastly different than what we were promised. At one point in November one of us was sent by bus to Al-Jaradiyah in Yemen. Moved without consent, on a terrifying 24-hour journey. After two months working 16 hours days, sick and not getting better, she was sent back.

Retaliation and Abandonment

When we realised that our contracts had been breached, we decided to take a stand. We insisted on working under the terms of the original agreement. But instead of addressing our concerns, the company we worked for retaliated by firing us. We were then transferred to accommodations managed by an outsourcing agency called, Saudi ManpowerSolutions Company (SMASCO). The situation got much worse. The CEO from SMASCO told us the contracts we signed in Kenya were “invalid.” This was the very contract that was approved before our departure, clearly stating that no other contract would replace it. We were forced to sign documents stating that our salaries had stopped from the moment we arrived at the SMASCO accommodation. Left with no income and freedom, we kept pushing for answers. After some time, we were given termination documents and assured us that we would be sent back to Kenya. But this too turned out to be another false promise— it turned out that we would have to pay for our travel home, even though our contracts said costs would be covered. Imprisoned at SMASCO, with nowhere to turn, we reached out to the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia, but no help came. Worse still, we were blocked from accessing the offices, making it impossible to follow up on our situation.

Fighting for Freedom

Desperate and feeling abandoned, we began reaching out to every possible authority. We contacted labour activists, human rights groups, and even Kenyan journalist Larry Madowo, hoping to have our voices heard. We also reached out to the Ministry of Foreign affairs back home, making phone calls, sending messages over email and WhatsApp, demanding their intervention. As pressure mounted and our story spread, officials finally acted. With the help of media exposure and intervention from various groups including Geoffrey from Equidem, we were finally able to get assistance. After three weeks, arrangements were made, and at last, we were able to return home to Kenya, however some of our colleagues are still stuck there and am hopeful that Equidem can follow up and facilitate their repatriation. What we went through was a nightmare that no worker should ever endure. We had trusted a government-backed advertisement and arrangement, believing we were securing stable, well-paying jobs in hospitals, only to find ourselves in a system that exploited and abandoned us with no remedy to justice at all. Our story is a warning to others and a call for stricter protection for migrant workers.