Chief Justice emeritus David Maraga has issued a stern warning against Kenya’s rising trend of labour export, likening it to a modern-day version of Africa’s historical loss of people through slavery.
Speaking recently, Maraga emphasized that unregulated foreign employment exposes Kenyan workers to exploitation and undermines the country’s social and economic fabric. “Our beloved Africa still lives with the unspoken wounds of losing her children to enslavement centuries ago,” he said, adding that the depletion of Kenya’s workforce today mirrors those historical injustices, albeit under the guise of providing job opportunities abroad.
Maraga argued that no modern African state should allow its citizens to be used to build foreign economies on cheap labour. “We cannot, ever, in this free Africa, fall prey to that dark greed of shipping off our best across the oceans to build foreign lands on the cheap, through suffering and indignity,” he warned.
The former Chief Justice, who has declared intentions to run for president in 2027, pledged that his administration would prioritise the welfare and protection of Kenyan workers. He called on elected leaders to focus on creating employment opportunities within the country rather than outsourcing livelihoods overseas.
Maraga also linked the labour export trend to systemic governance challenges, including corruption and mismanagement, which he said continue to limit domestic economic prospects. “It is against the very nature of elected governance to trade off our people as labour to foreign lands instead of expanding opportunities at home and ending the corruption that is bleeding our economy,” he stated.
His remarks come amid growing concerns over the safety and rights of Kenyan migrant workers, particularly in the Middle East, where cases of abuse and unsafe working conditions have been widely reported. Recent claims that senior government officials or their relatives have stakes in recruitment companies were denied by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during a parliamentary session.
Maraga’s comments highlight the urgent need for stronger protections for Kenyan workers abroad and a renewed focus on job creation at home.
