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Willis Otieno blasts Ruto’s govt over Kenyans’ suffering in Middle East
19th November, 2025 12:58 AM
Caption:Willis Otieno blasts Ruto’s govt over Kenyans’ suffering in Middle East.VIDEO/K24TV Good governance advocate and lawyer Willis Otieno has faulted the President William Ruto-led government.
Through a repost on X on November 18, 2025, Willis regretted how the government is focused too much on public relations instead of safeguarding the lives of Kenyan workers abroad.
He stated that what is unfolding in the Middle East is nothing short of a national shame authored by the current administration.
Willis slams Ruto-led government
In his strongly worded message, Otieno accused the government of spending billions “branding itself as a champion of jobs while quietly shipping our youth to hostile labour markets with zero protection, zero bilateral safeguards, and zero accountability.”
He also added that leaders celebrate remittances “while parents collect bodies,” calling the situation heartbreaking and unacceptable.
According to Lawyer Willis, the government calls it labour mobility while families call it funeral arrangements.
Otieno went on to criticise the Ministry of Labour, saying that under Ruto’s watch, it has become “a travel agency for misery.”
He faulted labour agencies for allegedly operating unchecked, noting that abuse reports are ignored and “even Parliament’s own warnings gather dust.”
He said it was ironic for the same administration to claim to operate under a bottom-up philosophy while doing little to protect vulnerable workers.
Also watch: Call to Protect Kenyan Migrant Workers in the Gulf.
Senators cry out for Kenyans
His remarks were in response to a plea posted earlier by Vihiga County Senator Godfrey Osotsi, who raised alarm over rising deaths of Kenyan youths working in the Middle East.
“In my county alone, I have lost 30 youths to the Middle East over the last two years,” Osotsi wrote.
Kiambu County Senator Karungo Thang’wa also weighed in, saying he had taken the matter to the Senate because Kenyans deserve dignity and urgent intervention.
In his statement, Thang’wa revealed that during a recent visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he personally found Kenyan mothers and children sleeping on the streets, including a newborn barely two weeks old.
He added that “hundreds of DNA cases remain unresolved and up to three hundred Kenyans are detained in Saudi Arabia without proper support.”
He further compared Kenya to other countries such as the Philippines, noting that they aggressively protect their citizens abroad and insisting that Kenya must match that standard.
The debate has intensified calls for immediate reforms within the labour migration sector to prevent further suffering.
