Kenyans suffer at the hands foreigners as State watches

That it took the intervention of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta to secure the release of Kenyan activists Bob Njagi and Nick Oyoo points to Kenya’s waning diplomatic standing in the region.

In recent years, Kenya seems to have left its citizens at the mercy of external aggressors. Kenyans living along the often restive border areas and abroad have faced danger from external forces, yet government responses have frequently been slow or inadequate.

Recent events, ranging from deadly attacks on fishermen at the Kenya-Ethiopia border to the mistreatment of Kenyan domestic workers in the Gulf, abduction of Kenyans by Ugandan security forces, or deceitful recruitment of Kenyans to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, highlight persistent concerns about the safety and dignity of Kenyan citizens both within and beyond the country’s borders. The government seems not keen on  rectifying  the situation.

In February this year, more than 40 fishermen were killed or went missing following an attack at the Todonyang border blamed on the Dassanech militia from Ethiopia.

“The Ethiopian militia attacked our people and killed more than 40. What was reported was 41, but we believe they were more,” said Turkana North MP Ekwom Nabuin. 

“There was no protest, no letter to the Ethiopian government. It is like we kept quiet. A country invading your citizens and you keep quiet is not fair,” Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi said during a parliamentary session.

The government of Turkana County honoured the lives lost by erecting a memorial plaque listing the names of the 40 victims.  

In May, another attack from the Ethiopian militia claimed four more fishermen’s lives.

Two months ago, Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya faced tough questions over the government’s inaction, noting that the ministry could not investigate the matter as it fell under the Ministry of Interior’s jurisdiction.

“The incident took place within our waters in Turkana, making the involvement of KDF very limited,” Tuya explained.

The MPs were, however, not convinced.

“I get the feeling that the State perhaps doesn’t care about the people of Turkana. We just need very concrete action on how the Kenyan government is going to protect its citizens from foreign attacks,” said Yusuf Hassan of Kamukunji. 

Beyond Todonyang, Al-Shabaab militants continue to destabilise parts of Mandera, Garissa and Lamu counties.

In April 29, five quarry workers were killed and two others injured when their vehicle was attacked by al Shabaab militants. About 10 gunmen ambushed a van full of workers near Bur Abor village in Mandera County and ordered them out of the vehicle before killing them. 

The group also claimed responsibility for an attack involving explosives on a police base in Mandera that injured three officers. This was followed by another attack on a pub near a military base in Lamu.

Kenyan security personnel have also suffered brutal treatment at the hands of Ugandan soldiers on Migingo Island. News of beatings, arrests, and maiming of Kenyan Administration Police officers and citizens paint a grim picture of lawlessness that undermines Kenya’s sovereignty in the disputed territory.

Outside Kenya’s borders, many citizens face violations of human dignity and rights.

Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia tell stories of forced labour, abuse, and neglect under the now-defunct kafala sponsorship system, which trapped workers under employer control.

Recently, Diana Chepkemoi’s frail condition, captured in viral photos, brought public outrage and forced the Kenyan government to repatriate her and other victims. She had been held under slavery conditions by her employer in the Gulf.

Kenyan househelps report being made to work in multiple homes without rest and deprived of food. Employers often withhold wages or delay payment based on arbitrary claims.

Countries with caring and proactive governments like Uganda and the Philippines have previously halted deployment of their domestic workers to Saudi Arabia and only lifted the bans after the governments agreed on how to treat their citizens.

“These women travelled to Saudi Arabia in search of work to support their families but instead endured unspeakable abuse in the homes of their employers,” said Irungu Houghton, Amnesty International Kenya’s executive director, adding:

Currently, hundreds of Kenyans are trapped in the front line, fighting for either Ukraine or Russia.

Recently, a deranged Israeli- Dutch national beat up his Kenyan girlfriend, attacked police officers and even spit on one, but he was merely deported. Chinese investors over the weekend fired over 2000 Kenyan workers without paying them their final dues in Athi River EPZ, and Kenya Police stood on the side of the foreigners. 

Whether in the waters of Lake Turkana, the borderlands of Mandera, the shores of Migingo, the households of the Gulf or the battlefield in Russia, Kenyan lives hang in the balance, and the government is silent.