Senators to Probe Plight of Five Kenyans Stranded in Malaysia

An investigation has been initiated by the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations into the predicament of five Kenyan individuals currently stranded in Malaysia.

Extensive scrutiny will be carried out by committee members who will work in collaboration with Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and Interior and National Administration. During the House meeting held on Friday, Bungoma Senator Wakoli Wafula shared that the five men went to Malaysia in hopes of securing well-paying jobs and ended up getting caught in the inhumane web of global human trafficking. He conveyed his deep sorrow over the appalling situation that these five persons have found themselves in.

As per Wafula's account, an agent facilitated their travel arrangements and covered their expenses under the pretence of securing lucrative job placements for them in Malaysia. However, upon their arrival, they were handed over to another Kenyan individual who then passed them along to a Pakistani. Subsequently, they were transferred to an Indian who eventually handed them over to a Chinese individual with whom they settled and commenced work without any formal contracts, as per Wafula's assertions.

The duties assigned to the five victims primarily involved the loading and unloading of heavy cargo. The senator said that not only were their efforts unremunerated, but they also received abrupt dismissals from their employer. He went on to state that, even after putting in extra night shifts for two consecutive months, the quintet was not given a work permit as promised. Having overstayed their visa they are now imposed with a payment fine before they can leave Malaysia.

Consequently, they now require financial assistance for the clearance of their overstay fines and also to purchase their return air tickets to Kenya. The senator also mentioned that the five individuals had taken out loans in Kenya to cover the necessary agency fees for their travel to Malaysia. All their attempts to contact the Kenyan Embassy in Kuala Lumpur have been unfruitful thus far.