NAIROBI, Kenya — Hundreds of Kenyan mothers and their children remain stranded on the streets of Riyadh and Jeddah, trapped by Saudi Arabia’s strict laws that deny citizenship and documentation to children born out of wedlock.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi on Tuesday confirmed that the crisis has persisted for years despite ongoing bilateral talks between Nairobi and Riyadh.
“Given the huge population of Kenyan women working in the country (Saudi Arabia), the problem of mothers with undocumented children is prevalent, and the government is seeking bilateral interventions,” Mudavadi told reporters.
He revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far managed to repatriate 59 mothers and 73 children from Saudi Arabia, though he admitted progress remains “slow and highly insignificant” compared to the growing number of stranded citizens.
The matter has drawn the attention of Parliament, with several legislators raising questions on the government’s commitment to rescuing and rehabilitating the affected women.
Mudavadi told MPs that 388 children born to Kenyan mothers in Saudi Arabia have been identified, but noted that “many mothers say DNA results never arrived,” leaving them in a state of legal limbo.
A recent report by The New York Times painted a grim picture of life for these mothers and children. Many now sleep on the streets, in informal shelters, or near gas stations in Riyadh’s Manfooha district, which has become a gathering point for undocumented migrants hoping for deportation.
Some women, the report said, “tie their children to trees to keep them safe while they look for odd jobs,” and others scavenge for food and clothing in garbage bins.
The women were initially employed as domestic workers and nannies but fled abusive employers or became pregnant outside marriage — an act that Saudi law criminalizes. Hospitals are mandated to report unmarried mothers who give birth, forcing many to deliver at home without certification.
Consequently, their children are denied birth certificates, medical care, and education, despite Saudi Arabia’s own laws guaranteeing these rights.
The Foreign Affairs CS also warned that human trafficking and fraudulent recruitment continue to worsen the situation, with more than 400 Kenyans reportedly stranded abroad after being deceived by rogue employment agents.
“The saddest thing is that the issue is spiralling out of control, as more victims are trafficked from Africa to as far as South Africa and Europe,” Mudavadi said.
Rights groups have condemned the Kenyan embassy in Riyadh for alleged neglect, with reports that some officials dismiss the mothers as “prostitutes” and refuse assistance. Meanwhile, informal daycares and street shelters have sprung up to care for abandoned or undocumented children, most of whom cannot access formal schools or vaccination programs.
While Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has introduced social reforms in Saudi Arabia, the absence of a written penal code continues to place unmarried women and their children in a precarious legal position.
For now, the stranded mothers’ plea remains one of desperation: for recognition by Saudi authorities, protection from arrest, and a safe route back to Kenya.
