Kenyans in Qatar stranded after jobs fallout

Kenyans who had moved to Qatar in search for greener pastures are languishing in the Middle East after their contracts were terminated by their employers. Quite a huge number of the employees who hail from the coastal town of Mombasa were duped into seizing the job opportunities by Mombasa-based travel agencies.The main issue that led to the fallout between the employers and their employees was the delayed salaries that the employees they say at times were forced to work for four months without being paid their dues. This forced them to boycott their duties in 2017. By the time of going to press, one of the workers said the employer owes him one year salary of Ksh 33,000 monthly.“In March this year we went on strike again. The company later terminated our contracts and evicted us from its houses. We went to court and the firm was ordered to house us until the case is heard and determined,” he said.Despite having launched their complaints and filed a court case in regards to the same issue, they have faced challenges as a result of language barrier considering Arabic is the official language of communication which most Kenyans do not understand.Back home, different quarters including Council of imams and Preachers of Kenya, human rights groups among others, have come out to call upon the government and other relevant agencies to intervene and come to the aid of the stranded Kenyans.