Kenya Ignored Years of Sex Abuse Claims Against Diplomat

NAIROBI — For years, the Kenyan government received multiple complaints that a senior diplomat was sexually abusing vulnerable women workers in Saudi Arabia, but officials allowed him to continue serving in his powerful position, according to a New York Times investigation and statements from U.N. and labor officials.

Robinson Juma Twanga served as Kenya’s labor attaché in Saudi Arabia, overseeing the welfare of hundreds of thousands of Kenyan domestic workers, mostly women, who traveled to the kingdom seeking better wages.

His role became increasingly critical as President William Ruto built his administration’s economic strategy around exporting labor abroad.

But women who sought help from the Kenyan Embassy reported that Twanga demanded sex and money, with some saying he told them to become sex workers to pay for plane tickets home, according to The Times.

The revelations paint a disturbing picture of systemic failure within Kenya’s labor export machinery, where government officials appear to have prioritized profits over the protection of their citizens abroad.

Robinson Juma Twanga, the Kenyan labor attaché, during a conversation about protecting overseas workers in 2021.

A senior U.N. official who attended a December 2019 meeting said Kenyan labor officials acknowledged receiving reports of sex abuse by Twanga.

According to the official, who spoke anonymously to discuss private conversations, Kenyan officials simply urged overseas diplomats to monitor Twanga rather than taking disciplinary action.

Francis Atwoli, head of Kenya’s Central Organization of Trade Unions, said numerous women had reported that Twanga solicited sex by 2020.

He told reporters he relayed these complaints to senior officials, including Simon Kiprono Chelugui, who was labor secretary at the time.

Atwoli even mentioned the abuse at a 2021 news conference, though he did not name Twanga publicly until recently.

Atwoli said of the inaction: “Nothing ever happened. It’s not a secret that he was problematic.”

The women’s accounts are harrowing.

Selestine Kemoli said her Saudi employer slashed her breasts with a paring knife, raped her, and forced her to drink urine.

When she went to the embassy for help in 2020, she claims Twanga told her she was beautiful and said he would sleep with her the same way her boss had.

Pauline Muthoni Kariuki said she was raped by her Saudi employer and his friend in 2020, became pregnant, and sought help.

At the embassy, she says, Twanga accused her of seducing the men.

Everlyne John went to the embassy after her Saudi employer withheld pay and threatened to rape and kill her.

She recalls Twanga asking sarcastically if she expected a red carpet at the embassy, then telling her to consider sex work if she was unhappy with her job.

The pattern of abuse extends far beyond individual cases.

At least 274 Kenyan workers, nearly all women, have died in Saudi Arabia over the past five years.

Autopsies and photographs frequently reveal broken bones, burns, and extreme emaciation, yet death certificates almost always list natural causes .

Kenya’s current labor secretary, Alfred N. Mutua, would not say what the government knew about the accusations against Twanga.

He told The Times that Twanga retired under the previous administration and that the recent revelations prompted an investigation that could lead to criminal charges.

CS Alfred Mutua.

But despite directives from a government watchdog, the Ruto administration has delayed releasing records about Twanga.

Roseline Kathure Njogu, a senior foreign ministry official, said no formal complaint had been filed. She acknowledged on a radio show that if a government employee acted in such a manner, it would be unconscionable and criminal.

The scandal comes amid growing scrutiny of Kenya’s labor export program.

The Ruto administration has deliberately stripped away worker protections and handed lucrative contracts to politically connected insiders, according to The Times.

Recruitment agencies owned or controlled by senior officials and ruling party figures collect hefty commissions .

Corporate records show President Ruto’s wife Rachel and daughter Charlene hold major shares in Africa Merchant Assurance, an insurance firm that recruiters must use.

Industry leaders told reporters the company never paid a single rescue claim for a distressed worker .

The government’s response has been defensive.

The National Assembly summoned Ruto’s foreign secretary, who defended the labor program.

But Senator Faki Mohamed Mwinyihaji accused the government of treating citizens like cows for milking, saying officials are only happy when workers bring money but never help when they face problems abroad.

Kenya has secured far weaker protections than other labor sending countries, with Filipino domestic workers in Saudi Arabia earning roughly 67 percent more, enjoying an emergency welfare fund, and accessing embassy run safe houses.

Kenya has not pushed for a higher minimum wage in seven years, recently slashed mandatory pre departure training from weeks to days, and capped recruitment fees.

Hundreds of Kenyan children are stranded in Saudi Arabia in a bureaucratic limbo that Kenyan officials have been slow to address.

Twanga declined to comment when contacted by The Times. Francis Wahome, a lobbyist for Kenya’s staffing industry, said several women had complained that Twanga coerced them into sex but claimed he believed the sex was consensual.

The Times obtained an internal government report describing Kenya’s embassy in Riyadh as mired in turmoil, with the ambassador accusing his staff of acting unethically.

Labor migration has become crucial to Kenya’s economy. Ruto announced diaspora remittances hit a record $4.2 billion in 2022, more than the $1.2 billion generated from tea, the country’s top export.

Kenyans working in Saudi Arabia sent home $302.26 million in 2022, up from $185.01 million in 2021 .

But the human cost continues to mount. As more revelations emerge about the exploitation and abuse suffered by Kenyan workers, pressure is building on the Ruto administration to prioritize the safety of its citizens over profits.

Mutua said he has sent new attachés to Saudi Arabia and expressed confidence that the teams on the ground now are much better.

He encouraged victims to come forward, promising that justice will be served.

For women like Kemoli, Kariuki, and John, who risked everything for a chance at better wages only to face abuse both abroad and from their own embassy, those promises may ring hollow.