Kenyas economic and employment crisis are driving more people to seek jobs outside the country. Women are the most affected because they are underrepresented in various sectors of the workforce, and therefore risky opportunities in the Middle East often seem like the only option.]About 42 percent of Kenyans live below the poverty line; therefore support through working abroad is the only life saver. Furthermore, there are few opportunities for low-skilled workers; and traditionally in Kenya, domestic workers, are underpaid by employers who do not respect the set minimum wage, and there is hardly any enforcement therefore many opt for the opportunities abroad where they are promised better pay. This is evident in our courts because the domestic workers move to court to enforce their rights. In Stella Amukoko Amutabi v Saijal Shikotra, The Claimant was employed by the Respondent as a Domestic Servant
from 5.3.2008 and served until 3.0.203 she resigned after serving a 3 months notice to the employer. She instituted a suit accusing her employer of underpayment during the whole period she rendered her service and further that she was forced to work during public holidays. She therefore sought to recover the salary underpayment plus compensation for the public holidays worked. The court entered judgment for the claimant in the sum of ksh.0, 576.60 being her salary underpayment in arrears. The above circumstances prompt Kenyans to migrate to the Middle East due to the lucrative job offers available and better wages. This is without due regard of the well-publicized risks that come with their stay in the Gulf nations. [: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Report,208] [2: Jillian Keenan, Doubts still linger on Kenyans safety in the middle east Daily Nation (Nairobi 29 July 209)] [3: Cause No 2 of 204]