NAIROBI, Kenya – The government is facing mounting criticism following revelations that Kenyan migrant workers who die overseas are increasingly being buried abroad without the knowledge or consent of their families.
The International Centre for Policy and Strategy (ICPS), a human rights lobby, accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of neglect, saying embassy officials have failed to protect the welfare of Kenyans working abroad, particularly in the Gulf states.
The group said many migrants continue to face abuse at the hands of rogue recruitment agents and employers, with some dying under unclear circumstances and later interred in foreign countries without relatives being informed.
One recent case has triggered outrage in Ganze, Kilifi County, after the burial of Jesca Ziro in Saudi Arabia.
ICPS officials, who visited her family in Madamani village, said she was laid to rest alongside five other Kenyans, all without the consent of their families.
“It is disheartening that the very diaspora office was the one to inform me about Jesca’s burial, only to reveal that five other Kenyans had also been buried there. The government must ensure embassy officials take responsibility instead of idling while families learn too late that their loved ones are gone,” said ICPS Director Alex Mwanza.
Former Kilifi County Assembly Speaker Teddy Mwambire challenged Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to address the matter urgently, warning that failure to act could spark a diplomatic crisis.
“Why is this happening to Kenyans who travelled abroad legally? The government must develop a clear framework where chiefs and local leaders educate job seekers before they sign contracts. Recruitment agents should be compelled to provide transparent agreements that next of kin can understand,” said Mwambire.
Families of victims have also voiced anger. Ziro’s widower, John Bejah, accused the state of prioritising tax revenues from labour migration while doing little to safeguard workers’ lives.
“The government told us that young people would get decent jobs abroad. But where are the safety measures? Families are left in pain, and communities are losing breadwinners. For those planning to travel, what guarantee of protection do they have?” Bejah asked.
The uproar comes just days after a family in Kirinyaga County demanded answers when their relative was buried in Saudi Arabia despite paying over Sh400,000 in fees to secure the repatriation of the body.
ICPS and local leaders are now calling for immediate reforms in the management of foreign labour migration, including stricter oversight of recruitment agencies and stronger embassy interventions to protect Kenyans abroad.
