Abstract: The relation between Kenya and Saudi Arabia traced back to the pre-colonial era has seen set up of bilateral agreements of economic, political and security nature including set up of economic blocs. However, spots of insecurity incidences that have marred these countries ranging from terrorism to human trafficking and inter-tribal conflicts for the case of Kenya have tainted the diplomatic environment between these two countries. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of human trafficking on Kenyan foreign policy with Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the study sought to establish the status of human trafficking in Kenya and Saudi Arabia in relation to foreign policy; to determine the diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Kenya in light of Kenya's foreign policy towards Saudi Arabia; and to provide solutions to Kenya's human trafficking issues related to Kenya's foreign policy towards Saudi Arabia. This study was carried out as a descriptive survey where qualitative data was collected. The study was conducted in Nairobi, Kenya. The study targeted a population of 25 persons drawn from Government of Kenya Foreign Affairs office, the directorate of criminal investigation, the national police service, and Embassy of Saudi Arabia. The study used a mix of purposive and snowball sampling to select all the 25 respondents. This study relied on both primary and secondary sources of data. The instruments for collecting data from the field were interview guides for the Ministry, consulate, police service and the directorate of criminal investigation officials. Content validity and construct validity was established by the study through seeking expert opinion from the lecturers and supervisor. To determine reliability of the data collection tool, the study did a pre-test of the tools in a pilot study within the Ministry. Data from the pilot study was then subjected to reliability index Cronbach’s alpha test where the reliability index was 0.82 (82%) which is above the recommended 0.70 indicating the instruments were reliable enough. Content analysis has been used to analyse the data by systematically and objectively identifying specific themes from the data representing the foreign policies informing Kenya-Saudi Arabia diplomatic relations. According to the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report for Kenya by the United States Department of state, Kenya is ranked at Tier 2 in its anti-trafficking capacity. This ranking is based on Kenya’s ability to track and curb human trafficking. The report also points out that officials from the Kenyan government negotiated for pay below the minimum wage for Kenyans working in Saudi thereby exposing the job seekers to trafficking. The report further recognizes the following types of exploitation experienced by Kenyans being trafficked to Saudi. There was a general view by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials and Saudi Consulate interviewees that Kenya enjoyed a positive long-lasting relationship with Saudi Arabia. This was in line with existing literature which traces that the cordial relationship between Kenya and Saudi could be traced to 1979 initiated by President Daniel arap Moi which was also boosted by President Mwai Kibaki’s visit in 2012. This resulted in various Foreign direct investments by Saudi in Kenya. The study reviewed existing literature and the MOFA to establish the provisions of Kenya’s policy on foreign relations. Since pre-independence, Kenya has fought for its liberation and sovereignty guided by five paramount pillars of peace, economic development, diaspora, environmental and cultural diversity. These pillars have anchored the post-independence Kenya’s foreign policy to date albeit the different approaches and vision by the different presidents over the years. This is because the ultimate goal of the pillars is to leverage Kenya’s bilateral and multilateral relations for sustainable development in line with sustainable development goals and the vision 2030. The foreign policy for Kenya was first drawn and written in 2014 guided by the country’s hope for peaceful coexistence between Kenya and countries with similar objectives while promoting Kenya’s political, economic, and social interests as embodied in Kenya’s National Anthem, the Constitution and Kenya Vision 2030.
Keywords: Diplomatic Relations, Foreign Policies, Human Trafficking.
Title: THE IMPACT OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ON KENYAN FOREIGN POLICY WITH SAUDI ARABIA
Author: Hubi Maalim Mohamed, Dr. Martin Erixon Wamalwa
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Vol. 10, Issue 4, October 2022 - December 2022
Page No: 140-147
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 10-October-2022
