Former Chief Justice David Maraga has issued a stinging rebuke to the government over what he terms an alarming overreliance on exporting Kenyan youth for low-paying and often exploitative jobs abroad—warning that the trend mirrors the continent’s painful history of mass enslavement.
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, November 20, Maraga drew a dramatic parallel between Africa’s past and Kenya’s present, accusing policymakers of re-opening old wounds through modern-day labour export schemes.
“Africa still bears the unspoken scars of losing her children to enslavement centuries ago. Today, in 21st Century Kenya, we are repeating history—only this time under the guise of helping young people earn a living abroad,” Maraga lamented.
Maraga: Kenya Cannot Build Other Nations While Its Own Youth Sink Into Hardship
The retired CJ condemned any policy that places Kenyan youth in vulnerable and undignified conditions overseas, saying leaders must protect citizens—not trade them off as cheap labour.
“We cannot fall prey to the dark greed of shipping our best talent to build foreign lands on the cheap. No free Africa should tolerate this indignity,” he warned.
Maraga accused the government of favouring labour export programmes instead of tackling corruption, unemployment, and economic mismanagement at home. He insisted that safeguarding Kenya’s human capital must remain at the heart of public policy.
“It is against the nature of elected governance to trade our people as labour instead of expanding opportunities at home and ending the corruption bleeding our economy,” he added.
Even as debate rages over labour exports, Kenyans already working abroad received a major update this week. The Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh has confirmed that Saudi Arabia will introduce a new minimum wage for all foreign workers from February 2026.
According to the Embassy, the reforms follow changes to the Kafala system and are aimed at improving worker welfare.
The minimum wage has been set at:
➡️ SAR 1,000 per month
➡️ Approx. KSh 34,455
The Embassy urged Kenyan workers to verify the new wage terms with their employers and report any violations through official channels.
Maraga’s explosive critique adds momentum to a growing national conversation:
Should Kenya continue exporting workers—or should the government focus on creating dignified jobs at home?
As thousands of youth queue daily for opportunities abroad, the former CJ’s warning strikes at the heart of Kenya’s economic strategy—and reignites a debate the country can no longer ignore.
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